A source claims Bara'em Al-Watan Private School carried out an evacuation drill the day the tragic fire took place and another the previous Wednesday. The source from the Education General Administration in Jeddah says the school is regularly inspected by safety specialists and received a valid security and safety certificate from the Civil Defense administration in March. “The Education General Administration has not received any remarks regarding security and safety in this school – neither from the supervisors who visit the school, from the school headmistress or any other authority,” the source said. “The school holds a license from the Ministry of Education for kindergarten, primary and intermediate stages and has a civil register from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry valid until May 5, 2015. It is also a subscriber in the social insurance system.” He stressed that the administration “has not and will not be lenient with any school, whether government or private, regarding the implementation of safety conditions.” The source added that the school is regularly inspected by safety specialists and that these inspections will continue. “Security and safety committees exist in every education office, to deal with emergencies and to promptly report on safety and security to the administration,” he said. There is also a male teacher in every boys' school and a female teacher in every girls' school in charge of security and safety. “The number of classes has been reduced to allow the monitoring of the functions they have been tasked with. Also, these teachers are supposed to carry out evacuation drills in the school,” he added. __
