Egyptian teacher speaks out after accusations of causing Kuwaiti student’s death

Egyptian teacher Najlaa Mohammed, who was accused of causing the death of Kuwaiti student Issa al-Balushi at a school in Kuwait, revealed the details of the incident and provided evidence of her innocence.

Najlaa told Al Arabiya.net that a few days before al-Balushi’s death, she strictly asked students in her class to take their seats, but only he didn’t. She then asked him to stand by the board but he refused, left the class and headed to the school supervisor’s office.

According to Najlaa, the supervisor then sent for her to understand what happened after which al-Balushi accused her of lying. The supervisor informed Najlaa that she will summon the student’s mother the next day to explain the situation.

Najlaa noted that she did not know that al-Balushi was a special needs student and that he had undergone three heart surgeries, adding that she did not sign any documents to prove that she was informed of his condition.

She added that al-Balushi was absent the next day, but his mother came and began arguing and yelling at Najlaa.

The mother said she would file a complaint against Najlaa at the ministry as her son’s psychological state was affected due to the way she abused him.

School officials intervened to reconcile Najlaa and al-Balushi’s mother, but the latter refused. On her way to submit the complaint, her housekeeper called her and told her that while the boy was blowing up balloons to prepare for national day celebrations, he fell and lost conscious.

Medical examinations showed that he had exerted a lot of effort blowing the balloons which affected the heart muscle, leading to his death.

The doctor’s report showed that the death was due to natural causes and that it happened the day after the incident with his teacher.

Najlaa said police interrogated her, but the school’s testimony was in her favor which lead the police to release her.

She added that she never abused al-Balushi and that she’s worked in the school for 12 years with no problems with anyone.