JEDDAH, 17 May — Women teachers are becoming increasingly frustrated with what they call “arbitrary rules” set by the General Presidency for Girls’ Education.
“Every day GPGE comes up with an unbelievable rule or decision that only ends up making life harder for us teachers,” said Thuraya Abdul Mutee, a teacher in one of the villages near Jeddah.
The GPGE has recently come up with a rule stating that drivers who bus teachers to school must have their spouses or any close female relative with them. “This is crazy, we struggle to find a car to take us to school on a regular basis, and with this new rule the chances are that we may not be able to fix up this service. For it would be even harder to find a driver to bring his wife or a female relative with him on these trips,” added Thuraya.
A spokesman for GPGE-Jeddah said that they had formulated this rule to avoid any harassment or any problems that the teachers may face during their journey to their schools. “When a driver has his wife (or a female relative) with him, the teachers will surely feel secure,” the spokesman said.
Najat Awad, a teacher who travels 300 kms every day, said that though there is good intention on the part of GPGE, it is not for them to decide on this issue. Najat takes a mini bus along with six other teachers who work in the same school. “The driver is not married, and I do not think any of his sisters or close female relatives would leave school or work to accompany him,” said Najat.
She added, this is for the families of the teachers to decide and also in making sure that they are going with a reliable driver, one whom they can trust. “I do not think any family would let their female members go with anyone just like that without checking the credentials of the person,” Najat said.
“The presidency has not fully thought out the implications and complications if this rule is implemented,” said Najat, who wondered how GPGE will be applying this rule.
Thuraya said: “If they really want to help, they should transfer us to our cities or villages instead of making us commute 300 kms every day,” said Thuraya.
