The school says it was all just a misunderstanding. But the case of Samir Mohammed's diabetic son is a fine example of the mixed record that the UAE's schools have with special-needs students of all types. The struggle for understanding and inclusion will have to be as persistent and manifold as the problems for which students need help.
The story, reported in The National today, has a half-happy ending: the school, which had refused the boy a place on the basis of his Type 1 diabetes, finally offered to accept him. By then, however, his parents had lost confidence in the establishment, and will send the boy elsewhere.
Diabetes is not a mystery disease; published reports say as many as a fifth of UAE residents are diabetic and another fifth are pre-diabetic. True, Type 1 diabetes, which is usually detected early in childhood, is less common than Type 2, but a lot of work has been done already to overcome the misplaced caution of school officials. In April, the Emirates Diabetes Society and Dubai officials proposed a "bill of rights" for diabetic students, which begins with the right "not be discriminated [against] during the admission or educational process".
Dr Abdul Razzak al Madani of the Diabetes Society was quoted as saying some schools have a "phobia" about the disease. If so, that is a pity. To be sure, diabetic students do have special needs, but these are generally modest by comparison with the requirement placed on schools by students with certain other disabilities or limitations.
In general, schools can cope with diabetic students' needs for regular bathroom breaks, sufficient meal breaks and access to physical education. It is when injections are mentioned that school administrators become anxious, and this is not completely unreasonable: the potential for medical harm, and for lawsuits, cannot be denied.
As with other special needs, the solution can be found in educator training, parent-school co-operation and the provision of the necessary extra resources. The last of these remedies is a concern for governments.
Nobody denies that the whole gamut of special-needs care adds to the cost of education. Equally, however, nobody should deny that developing the human potential of every student has great social value, making it a goal our whole society should share.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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