ABU DHABI // All seven children injured in a school-bus accident in which a driver was killed on Monday returned to class today.
The bus, belonging to Model School in Mussaffah, was carrying 45 pupils from the Tourist Club on Monday morning when it collided with another bus, owned by Al Ghazal Transport.
The driver of the Al Ghazal bus died and several children had minor injuries.
The Abu Dhabi Education Authority (Adec) and parents of injured pupils have commended the school management's swift action in ensuring the safety of the children.
"We immediately rushed to the spot when we found out about the accident," said Dr Abdul Kader, the principal.
"The six children were immediately transferred to the hospital as they had back and neck sprains. One child had to get stitches."
Dr Abdul Kader said the other children were sent back to continue with classes.
"We stayed in the hospital until all the children were discharged," he said.
Brian Fox, the division manager for private school licensing and accreditation at Adec, said the school was quick to call an ambulance and parents.
"All the students were given the required medical assistance, collected by their parents and arrived safely to their homes," Mr Fox said.
Salim Illias, the father of a Grade 10 pupil who was in the bus, said he was grateful for the prompt response.
"They took care and ensured the children went back to school in another bus immediately, and gave them time to recover in the clinic," Mr Illias said.
But he said even minor injuries could have been avoided if the children had been wearing seat belts.
"While you cannot predict such things, they will happen and the effect can be reduced," Mr Illias said.
Sumesh Suresh, 16, who hurt his back in the collision, said there was a lot of panic among the younger children when the accident happened.
"One boy fell down and was bruised," Sumesh said. "But the police came soon and the principal and headmaster were also there to take care of things."
He said he missed some classes that day while recovering in the clinic.
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Museum of the Future in numbers
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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