MAKKAH, 19 May 2004 — Despite the huge shortage of female English teachers in the Kingdom, many English language graduates are unable to find a job.
According to Al-Madinah newspaper, the Ministry of Education advised students to study English because of the need for teachers. The women did so and after graduation, a large number are still unemployed after two years. They have become understandably discouraged and some have accepted teaching jobs for very low salaries.
H.M., a woman who graduated in English, said: “After graduating with a BA in English, I stayed at home for more than three years without finding a job. We keep hearing promises from the ministry that they will find us a job, especially since our speciality is much-needed. What is very strange is that male English majors find jobs very quickly wherever they want while we women remain unemployed for years.”
Amal, another English graduate, said: “I graduated two years ago and since then I have been searching for a job. I have been reading all the advertisements for jobs in many newspapers but I have found nothing. I want a job even if it is in a village far from a city. We were promised that it would be easy to find jobs but that has certainly not been the case. We were told that people majoring in English would be needed for many years. What is wrong?”
These women who have already graduated and others who are about to graduate are questioning when they will find the promised jobs. Next year, the ministry will introduce English into girls’ elementary schools and the need for English teachers will increase. Perhaps there is hope for some of these women to find a job.
What is a mystery is why it has been suggested that teachers from middle school and high school could help in elementary classes by giving a few lessons a week. The unemployed women wonder why help is needed from other teachers when they themselves are ready and able to work. They have asked the ministry to investigate and come up with a solution to the problem.
