Getting back to school with flu worries

Schools were supposed to have started two weeks ago. But the opening has been postponed until Oct. 10 for secondary and Oct. 17 for primary sections in order to educate teachers and acquire H1N1 vaccines for distribution.

Doaa Zuhairy, a 30-year-old housewife and mother of three, said she is relieved her nine-year-old son won't be going to schools until Oct. 17. "I am in a panic and I want schools to be delayed until after Haj," she added, pointing out that her children are asthmatic.

Layla Sameer said her mother enrolled her two sisters in Qur'an recitation in the extended summer break. "But that's about it. Their daily routine is upset. Besides, they are getting bored at home," she said, adding that her little sister cried when she was told she is starting school late this year. "Back to school is going to be really challenging for both students and parents this year."

Rawan A., a mother of two, said that starting school late might not make a difference in the long run. "I am waiting to see what schools are going to do for these kids. If it isn't safe, they will definitely stay at home," said Rawan.

As for her six-year-old son, Rawan said that she is trying to manage his time and make him busy with some artwork.

Sultan Ahmed said he is against the postponement of the school semester. "My son is at home playing computer games and watching cartoons all day long," he said, pointing out that perhaps all the fuss about swine flu is overblown.

Haneen Turki, a mother of two, also resented the delay, saying her kids have nothing to do at home. "I called every kids club in town to enroll my two sons hoping to kill their time with some useful activities," she said. But, added Haneen, the clubs were too expensive, especially after all the back-to-school spending.

Mohsen Awad, an Egyptian expatriate, said, "I am worried about sending my daughter to school for her first elementary year because children of her age do not have sufficient knowledge about precautionary measures against swine flu."

Abdul Aziz Al-Wattar, a director of a department at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he would not send his children to school in the first week and that he would wait until the picture of the precautionary measures at the schools was clear. "I'll send my children with masks and ask them to put them on whenever they hear someone near them coughing or sneezing, whether in the classroom or at the courtyard during the breaks," he said.

Essam Al-Dawalibi, a Syrian hotelier, said he would be hiring a driver to take his children to school instead of utilizing the school bus.

Al-Dawalibi said the availability of vaccines against the H1N1 virus would not end his worries because he heard that the vaccines could be dangerous.

Emad Abdullah, a Palestinian who has lived in the Kingdom for many years, said he would send his children to school with anti-bacterial lotion and masks in their bags. He said he and his wife have supplied their children with a list of precautionary measures, Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.aabnews.com for full version.