DAMMAM, 6 January — The Ministry of Education's decision to regularize residential status of teachers at foreign schools has been generally welcomed by the management bodies of most international schools in the Eastern Province. However, they feel that the move will drive up the cost of running the schools as the majority of teachers in many of the international schools are housewives who stay in the Kingdom under the sponsorship of their husbands.
An official at the Ministry of Education has categorically maintained that employment of housewives, who are under the sponsorship of their husbands, as teachers is absolutely illegal. "Visas for spouses very clearly indicate that they are not allowed to undertake any employment in the country," he added. The ministry has, however, said that it is studying this issue and will soon give its recommendations on regularizing the status of these teachers.
A majority of teachers at nearly 33 international schools in the Eastern Province are housewives staying in the Kingdom under the sponsorship of their husbands. According to an estimate, more than 500 teachers at these schools came to the Kingdom as housewives even though most of them are well-qualified and trained. The schools save a lot of money by hiring housewives because they accept relatively low salaries and do not get any additional benefits such as housing, air ticket and medical insurance.
In many of the Asian schools, housewives employed as teachers get very low salaries compared to their counterparts working on school visas. However, these teachers have been demanding equal treatment and complain that the school boards are exploiting their legal status. A teacher who is under her husband's sponsorship in Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani schools here is paid less than SR2,000 and do not get any other benefits whereas those directly hired by the school get more than SR3,000 plus other perquisites.
If the ministry insists on changing their residential status, most of these teachers feel that they will lose their jobs. They say if ministry is ready to consider them as a special case the working conditions at the schools will improve. "Teaching is a noble profession. We are not indulging in any commercial activity and, therefore, our case should be treated compassionately," said a teacher who is working at the Indian school for the past 15 years and earns only SR1,700 per month.
The school managements are also nervous because if the residential status of these teachers are regularized, they will be entitled to benefits such as housing, air tickets and health cover. This will send school expenses drastically up. "We are a non-profit making institution and our tuition fee is the lowest not only in the Kingdom but in the entire Gulf region. We do not have resources to meet this extra expenditure and will have to increase fees," said a school management official.
The parents on the other hand are opposed to any fee increase. With the new system of electing school managing committees, now every committee will be reluctant to increase fees, as it will be a very unpopular move that will have its effects in future elections.
