Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — For the second day Monday, several parents prevented their children from going to the schools for fear of the sandstorm which engulfed Jeddah and other areas in the Kingdom in a blanket of dust. The parents were astonished by the stand of the Education Ministry for not suspending the schools but the ministry said this was the prerogative of the departments of education in all regions. Some schools in Jeddah asked the parents to pick up their children after 10 a.m on Sunday. The parents complained that they had to pick up their children and take them back home in the dust which blurred the visibility and congested the streets. Ahmed Al-Muflihi, a parent, said he expected the ministry to suspend the classes. He said a large number of students suffered from respiratory difficulties and had to be rushed to hospitals. Salem Al-Harbe accused the departments of education of negligence and said they were not concerned with the health and well-being of the students. Huda Al-Habshi, a mother, said her husband, a soldier, was stationed in the southern borders and she had to go to the school herself to pick up her children amidst nasty weather. Mohammed Al-Sulami said he was not ready to wait for a decision from the ministry so he asked his sons and daughter to remain home. Abdullah Al-Thaqafi, director of education in Jeddah, said he did not suspend the schools in the city because the ministry's suspension directory says the studies should be stopped only when the visibility is below 500 meters. He said, according to the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) the visibility was within the boundaries of 1,000 to 900 meters. The director said the warnings received by the department put the speed of the sandstorm at 60 to 70 km which was not fast enough to suspend studies. Quoting the PME's figures, Al-Thaqafi expected the sandstorm to clear completely at about 6 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, the department of health affairs said about 140 young students who were 10 years old or less were treated in several hospitals for respiratory trouble and eye allergy. The department asked all residents, specially those suffering from respiratory diseases, not to go out in he sandstorm. It also asked the residents to wear masks to cover their mouths and noses. The branch of the Ministry of Labor in Makkah province asked all private companies and establishments to stop their field workers from working outside during the sandstorm.
