Abu Dhabi Court Upholds Al Worood School Closure

 Al Worood Academy Private School, where a girl died after being locked in a bus, will be permanently closed, the Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation on Saturday.

The school had filed a lawsuit trying to overrule Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) original decision to close the school. Its appeal was denied. The court that the school had been negligent in a way that endangered pupils.

The education authority decided to close Al Worood after the death of Nizaha Aalaa, 3, an Indian girl who was locked inside a school bus from 7am until noon on October 7, 2014. 

Nizaha had fallen asleep on her way to school. The bus supervisor did not check the back seat where she was sleeping, and the driver had not checked the bus before locking it up. Nizaha had tried to survive by eating her lunch and drinking a bottle of water according to newspaper reports. There were also signs of her banging on the door and sticking her face on the glass to call for help.

The authority's original decision was based on an argument the school's licence must immediately be suspended if it had been proven to lack safety standards. ADEC argued the school hired a bus company that was not licensed to carry school pupils, employed an unauthorised driver and a cleaner to supervise. 

The Cassation court agreed that the bus lacked basic safety standards for pupils and that the driver was unqualified.

Al Worood had about 1,900 students enrolled at the school prior to the death of Nizaha. At the time it was closed however that number had dwindled to 96. The school has a capacity for around 3000 students.