‘Her whole eyelid was swollen’: parents say insects have infested Indian school in Dubai

The principal said there was no evidence to suggest the children were being bitten within the school grounds and there was regular pest control at the institution.

Mysha Kaipa says she came home from school last week with bites across her face. Courtesy Saba Kaipa

DUBAI // Cockroaches and other insects have infested a Dubai school leaving pupils with red, itchy and swollen bites, disgruntled parents have claimed.

Six-year-old Mysha Kaipa is one of several pupils at Dubai’s Ambassador School who returned home last Thursday with bite marks on her hands and face, her mother said.

One bite left Mysha’s eye so swollen her mother, Saba Kaipa, an administration assistant in Dubai, was forced to take her to a hospital emergency room for anti-inflammatories and antibiotics.

“She said ‘Mamma: I cannot see properly’. Her whole eyelid was swollen,” said Ms Kaipa. “She was very uncomfortable and sore.”

The mother has withdrawn her daughter from school until the issue has been resolved.

The Indian-expatriate visited the school on Sunday with two other parents to complain, and asked to see copies of pest-control reports.

Ms Kaipa said she found other classes had also reported claims of cockroaches but was told that her child was probably bitten by insects outside the school grounds – claims that she dismissed.

“The fact that other kids had similar marks – it is pretty obvious that happened at school.”

Another parent, who asked not to be named, said her son had spotted two or three cockroaches every day at the Indian K-12 school, as well as other insects.

“My son, he came in with bites on his back, thighs and arms,” said the expatriate.

“I have pictures of it. They see these bugs, quite big and quite frequently in the classroom.”

Every day they say they see ants, they see cockroaches, they see ant-homes. “We went but they do not acknowledge the problem. I feel very concerned.”

She said her six-year-old son had spotted insects in the classroom during the past month, but only started complaining of bites on Thursday.

“When he came back it was like small boils, but by evening it was properly swollen and itching very badly. We took him to the doctor.”

Another parent, who also did not wish to be named, said it made her feel concerned about the health and safety at the school.

“My son – he has spotted ants,” said the 33-year-old Indian expatriate living in Dubai. “A few kids have seen cockroaches. It is quite dangerous.”

Other parents, in a chat group on the WhatsApp social networking tool, claimed their children had killed a cockroach in the school on Monday.

However, school authorities deny there was any issue with insects at the school.

Naila Zaffar, the principal, said there was no evidence to suggest the children were being bitten in the school grounds, but she was aware of the complaints after a mother posted remarks about her child being bitten on a social networking site.

“We discussed it and said we would see the parents and see what happened and make some inquiries,” said Ms Zaffar. “An insect bite can come from anywhere. If it had happened in school, we would have seen it and dealt with it if a child’s eye was swollen and a child was in distress. We have very caring teachers. They did not see anything.”

Ms Zaffar said the cockroaches could have been brought in within children’s school backpacks or lunch boxes.

She said the school took the issue seriously and there had been thorough cleaning.

Ms Zaffar said the school carried out regular pest-control practices, which had been increased to once a month this year. “We do it three times a year, but recently we have been doing it once a month because of the weather,” she said.

“Now children eat in classroom,” said the principal.

“On top of that, what we have found is that several teachers have spoken to parents because some bugs have been coming in their [school] bags.

“Three teachers have confirmed some [cockroaches]have come from the bags,” said Ms Zaffar, who added parents had been contacted about these reports.

“There has been reports that some have come from the backpacks and the lunch boxes.”

She said the KHDA, which regulates private schools in Dubai, had graded the school as “outstanding” in its last inspection.