School food poisoning case referred to Prosecution

The food poisoning incident that occurred at a private school during the last week of September has been referred to the Public Prosecution.

The decision came after initial investigations proved that around 90 pupils were diagnosed with food poisoning because of the school canteen’s negligence towards health and cleanliness standards. Curricula and Educational Supervision Acting Assistant Undersecretary and Private Education Director in Education Ministry Ahlam Al Aamer confirmed that the incident took place at Naseem International School and that the school’s canteen has been permanently closed.

Ms. Al Aamer explained that 87 male and female students suffered from food poisoning, while three teachers were hospitalised for the same reason.

According to Ms. Al Aamer, investigations jointly conducted by Education and Health Ministries showed traces of contamination in the food due to bacteria, leading to the food poisoning cases. “This was discovered after examining the kitchen utilised to prepare the food, the remnants of food consumed and questioning a number of canteen workers and students.” Ms. Al Aamer said: “Once notified about the incident, a joint team of both ministries visited the school and followed-up on the cases admitted to hospitals and health centers. In light of the result of the investigation, the ministries decided to permanently close the kitchen and the canteen at the school.”

The official also explained that the canteen wasn’t authorised to operate by the official authorities and will not be permitted to reopen unless a written permission from the Health Ministry is provided. Ms Al Aamer affirmed that the school was warned by Education Ministry and Article 28 of Decree 25 of 1998 would be inflicted on the administration of the school in case such violations that risk students’ safety are repeated.