New nursery law after fatal Villagio fire
Qatar has issued a new law making nursery school owners legally responsible for the safety and security of children in their care.
This law comes nearly two years after 19 people, including 13 children, died when they were trapped in a nursery during a fire in Villagio.
Under the new law, operators will be required to obtain an annual licence to establish, manage or modify a nursery and pay a QR100,000 ($27,460) bond.
A fine of QR10,000 will be deducted from the bond for any violation.
Repeat violations would lead to the licence being cancelled or its classification downgraded, the nursery put under temporary management or closed for up to three months.
The owners and staff could be jailed for up to two years.
The legal laws implemeted on nurseries and their owners were put under criticism and scrutiny following the firein May 2012 at the Villaggio Mall, where everyone inside the Gympanzee daycare center died because they were unable to escape.
During a court trial it was revealed the centre was unlicensed and the mall was built using illegal flammable materials, had faulty sprinklers and was not licensed to house a children’s nursery.
Investigators said the fire was caused by a faulty electrical wiring in a fluorescent light.
Source: Arabian Business | Photo: Omar Chatriwala in the QL Flickr Group
