A number of parents have expressed their irritation with the Directorate General of Jeddah Education for not making a clear decision about the suspension of classes in pubic and private schools on Tuesday, saying that many schoolchildren, including those who were suffering from asthma and lung ailments, were forced to go to school because of the indecisiveness of the education authorities. Despite warnings from the Presidency of Metrology and Environment that there would be sandstorms in Jeddah and other parts of the Makkah region on Tuesday, many schools did not suspend their classes because the Directorate General of Jeddah Education did not make a clear and firm decision. According to some parents, some schools have low student attendance while others suspended their classes at the discretion of the principal without sending any notification to parents or posting information on their websites. Many schoolchildren went to school on Tuesday, only to find that their schools were closed. Salem Al-Sa'adi, a father of three, complained that he took his children to school in the early morning despite the bad weather only to find that the school was closed. He said the school should have posted information about the closure on its website or the education authorities should have made a public announcement that all schools should suspend classes. On the other hand, many schools in Jeddah which opened on Tuesday reported significant student absences and surmised that parents preferred not to send their children to school in the bad weather. Some bloggers posted comments on their websites stating that many parents did not send their children to school following media reports that school classes in Makkah region, which includes Jeddah, had been suspended due to the sandstorm. Saudi Channel One posted on its news bar a decision by education authorities in Makkah that classes were suspended in the region, but did not mention if Jeddah was included. Many parents said they thought that Jeddah was covered by the suspension order. Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, principal at a secondary school in northern Jeddah, told the Saudi Gazette in a telephone interview that the school expected a significant number of absences because of what happened in Riyadh on Monday. The Directorate General of Education in the capital city did not suspend classed despite PME reports of sandstorms. “In this chaotic situation and without formal advice (from education authorities), some principals were left on their own to decide whether to suspend classes or not,” said Al-Ghamdi. Many parents and teachers in Jeddah stayed awake past midnight waiting for a formal decision from education authorities. Early Tuesday morning, parents and teachers continued to await an annoucement from school or education authorities. Some parents said that they received a message from their children's school while they were on their way to the school with their children in the car and had to go back home. Some schools sent text messages to parents telling them not to bring their children to school because the classrooms were full of dust and sand. Most education authorities in different regions suspended classes for two days after hearing the PME weather reports. Meanwhile, hospitals and clinics reported Tuesday that there were hundreds of patients with cases of asthma, sinusitis and other respiratory problems because of the sandstorm. Scores of female school supervisors and teachers criticized their superiors for ignoring the reports of bad weather and asking them to go to school even though many students were absent. Salma Al Harbi, a supervisor at a girls' school in Jeddah, said that the rules and regulations of the labor department suggested that they should be given days off in such bad weather. Social network websites received thousands of comments condemning education and school authorities for not making firm decisions to suspend classes, although many schools were full of dust and sand. Some websites posted cartoons describing the chaotic situation. __
