Letters

After a long summer break, children in Bahrain are settling back in school and focusing on classes, sport and other afterschool activities. It is a time of transition, not only for children but for parents.

Besides being anxious about the regular and recurring worrying thoughts such as ‘will they need extra help in the classroom’, or, ‘what am I going to pack for lunch every day?’ some parents have deeper concerns around sending their kids back to school, one of which is their child’s health.

Many people are not aware of how bad the indoor air quality in schools can be. Fatigue, headaches, dizziness, coughing, plus eye, nose and throat irritation are symptoms of poor air quality in learning environments.

Consider this, some reports suggest 50 per cent of all schools have poor indoor air quality. Many school days are missed by students due to allergies and asthma.

What we know for sure is that indoor air quality has a direct impact on student health and performance. With cleaner air, students concentrate better and get higher grades. It also helps reduce absenteeism as children are less likely to get sick and enhances productivity.

But as everyone get adjusted to the routine of school, it’s a good idea to monitor and improve indoor air. Parents and students can work with school officials to promote better air quality and to make sure it is a top priority, here’s what can be done:

Monitoring air quality: You can’t manage what you don’t measure, that is to say, there is no way to know what the air quality is like without measuring it. It would be sensible for schools to carry out their own checks for both indoor and outdoor air quality. This can be done effectively by hiring a qualified professional for indoor air testing.

Adequate air ventilation & source control: One step to improving indoor air quality in schools is to improve building ventilation. Schools must ensure the school ventilation system is working properly, undergoes regular inspection and maintenance, and has its filters replaced on a routine basis.

Comprehensive cleaning programme: A clean school is important to every member of the school community. Schools should be sure that hallways and classroom floors are wet mopped and surfaces dusted frequently using safe, non-toxic cleaning products and paints. It is also imperative to identify and eliminate sources of moisture that promote mold and mildew which will reduce the spread of infectious illness, as well as the triggers for asthma and allergies.

Fragrance-free schools: Strong scents and fragrances can contribute to poor indoor air quality that can be unhealthy to students and teachers alike. Allergic and asthmatic patients report that certain odours, even in the smallest amounts, can trigger an episode. Encourage your child’s school to ask its students and employees to refrain from wearing scented products.

Every parent wants to do everything in their power to keep their child happy and healthy and keep their future bright. Although parents can control the indoor air quality in their homes, making improvements to the air that they breathe at school can help set a child up for success during the school year and providing a healthy, comfortable environment is an investment in the future of a child.

TR Ganesh, GM, Blueair Middle East.

Baloo is delighted to announce another way of entering his competition! If you haven’t time to post your entry in person or live overseas, just send a photograph of you counting the cats and the number spotted in This Way Baloo! to @Baloosbuddies or @bookcasebahrain on Instagram or Baloo’s Buddies Bahrain on Facebook and Baloo will be delighted to post your card for you!

Sarah Clarke, by email.   

Editor’s note: Gulf Weekly Book Club members get two entries to win BD20 worth of children’s books to celebrate The Bookcase Budaiya’s revamp!

l had a pal called Haji Ali from Bahrain in the late 1970s. We were on a construction studies course at Preston Polytechnic.

I would like to meet him again but do not know where to start. Can you help by publishing this email?

Andrew Noble – andrew.n2@btopenworld.com

Following the sad news of another two suspected suicides of expatriates in Bahrain bringing the total to 30 this year, as reported on your sister online news channel, @gdnonline, could our expatriate friends in Bahrain please translate this artwork, right, into their home language and share it among their communities?

Despair, depression and desperation know no boundaries.

These numbers – 39605806, 39283875 and 33601311 – are manned by 60 trained counsellors from PGF, the Pravassi (expatriate) Guidance Forum.

Concerned, Saar.