A private school in Dubai has appealed for police protection following a surge in violence among students and against the teaching staff.
The call by Al Hosn school came after a grade 5 schoolboy was beaten up by eight other students inside the school campus after they accused him of swearing at one of them.
Yousuf Yacoub Abdul Rahman suffered from bruises in the jaw and the shoulder following the attack, prompting his father to report the eight students to the police. He also accused the school of negligence.
“The school is witnessing violent events almost every day. Sometimes it is between the students and other times between pupils and teachers,” the school acting head Aisha Ali was quoted by the Arabic language daily Emarat Al Youm.
“The school is suffering from staff shortage and the resources needed to control the situation…we call for police intervention to control the situation and put an end to the daily violence at school.”
She said the school comprises many students who have been expelled by other schools for various reasons, adding that this is affecting other schoolboys. “We are trying to seek help from the education security department at the Dubai Police to tackle this problem,” she said.