The Ministry of Education terminated the operation of buses for schools for children with disabilities due to the deficiency of escort service for the students, an Arab daily reported.
Sources revealed that leaving students with different disabilities alone in the bus was difficult and unsafe without a companion. In addition, parents also expressed dissatisfaction over the shortage of escort supervision at schools. The officials of the Special Education Department discussed with parents the reasons behind the lack of escorts, stressing that they rejected the idea of allowing students to ride the bus without an escort.
Officials also added that obtaining such facilities requires lengthy procedures, through the Civil Service Bureau at the request of the administrative sector in the Ministry of Education. This would require calling on the Minister of Education and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Hamad Al-Adwani to intervene and end the inconvenience of students and their parents, especially as they require specialized attention and care.
The MOE, on the other hand, informed school administrations to abide by the instructions of the Civil Service Commission with regard to implementing the reduced working hours for the duration of two paid hours for a disabled employee, regardless of the type and degree of disability. In addition, the request included reducing working hours by two hours for the employee who takes care of a disabled child or spouse, whether mild or severe disability, upon obtaining a certificate from the Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities indicating the name of the beneficiary employee.