Schools in Bahrain will be open today for students of all levels in line with the Education Ministry's legal and moral responsibilities, ministry public relations and media director Dr Nabeel Al Asoomi said yesterday.

'For the Education Ministry, there is nothing called partial or full strike, our only concept is attendance and absence,' he said, asserting that the ministry, out of its constitutional, legal and national duties, is committed to providing educational services for all students despite attempts to cause disruption.

Dr Al Asoomi pledged the ministry would replace all those who fail to perform their national duties, calling on students, parents and teachers to join hands to enable the ministry to carry on providing students with their educational rights.

A committee, involving the ministry's senior officials and specialists, will monitor classes at schools, he said.

Meanwhile, the Bahrain Teachers Society (BTS) has called on parents to keep their children off school for a week for their own safety.

The move is in a bid to protect them from clashes between pupils in government schools, it said.

Members will also protest outside the Education Ministry in Isa Town today to demand better security and an end to sectarian tensions in classrooms.

Saar Secondary Girls School was temporarily closed after rumours sparked clashes between pupils on Thursday.

BTS president Mahdi Abu Deeb said the ministry had failed to ensure security in schools and ensure that tensions did not rise between pupils and teachers.

'Everyday clashes are happening between students and teachers in schools across the country,' he said.

'We have called on the ministry to stop the education process until everything calms down as sectarianism has reached schools and classrooms and this is very dangerous.'

Abu Deeb denied suggestions that the society had encouraged pupils to take part in protests or leave their classrooms.
 'We have never asked students to take part in any protest before as we believe their place is in their classrooms ensuring their education is delivered,' he said. - TradeArabia News Service