The Ministry of Education said that schoolboys whose schools were damaged by the floods in Jeddah can either go to any of a list of selected alternative schools or to others close to where they live. Over 2,500 flood-stricken families have been sheltered in furnished apartments across Jeddah, many of which may be some distance from alternative schools. Eleven girls' schools have been damaged by the flood and students at these schools are asked to stay home for one week while repairs are made. Maintenance work at damaged schools is underway to get them back to normal as soon as possible, said Raja Al-Sulamai, spokesman of the Jeddah Education Department. Staff of damaged schools will report to alternative schools, he said. King Abdulaziz University King Abdulaziz University (KAU) said it is ready to receive its students Saturday despite visible flood damage on some parts of the campus. Flood-affected lecture halls, classrooms, and labs have already been repaired to ensure a timely start to classes on Saturday, said Abdulrahman Al-Youbi, vice-president of KAU for academic affairs. Maintenance work is underway to repair damaged parts of the university, he said. Empowered with their slogan “My University, My Responsibility,” many students have rolled up their sleeves to join the maintenance work at the university around the clock, he said. The infrastructure of the university was badly-damaged by the flood which destroyed the university wall on the side of Quwaizah, Al-Youbi added. The university hospital, the staff housing complex, the King Fahd Medical Center, and the Nanotechnology Center were the most affected by the flood. Sources said that KAU has incurred over SR200 million in flood damages. Swine flu vaccination for students Mass vaccination of school students against swine flu is scheduled to start Saturday, said Ziad Memish, Deputy Minister for Preventive Medicine, Friday. The vaccination drive is coordinated with the Ministry of Education and will be conducted inside schools or in school health units, he said. Students will not be forced to have the shot, he said. Health clinics across the Kingdom have started vaccinating pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases, and children below six years of age. The European Medicines Agency, however, warned Friday that young children given GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu shot may develop a fever after their second dose. In a statement issued Friday, the European drug regulator said data from GlaxoSmithKline PLC showed a higher number of children aged six months to three years developed a fever after their second dose of the Pandemrix vaccine, compared with the first. Children were also more likely to have side effects, such as muscle pain, drowsiness, and irritability, the statement said.
