The Ministry of Education still insists on Saudi teachers not teaching English in the sixth grade of elementary school. Dr. Saleh Al-Dubaian, undersecretary at the ministry, said in an interview with Al-Riyadh newspaper that the ministry had no intention of hiring high school graduates with English diplomas even though the subject to be taught in elementary school is merely the basics of the language. He said the ministry was not responsible for those graduates with diplomas from the private academy associated with Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University because, he claimed, the ministry had never approved the private institute which began the diploma course two years ago. He insisted that the ministry would not hire teachers without bachelor degrees. This is the ministry’s policy.
The undersecretary went on to say that the shortage of English teachers would be eliminated by hiring teachers with bachelor degrees from within the Kingdom or from abroad. He justified rejecting the diploma holders by saying that at present, the ministry believes it best to hire only bachelor degree holders.
Look at the contradictions in his statement. He says the “current situation” calls for hiring bachelor degree holders to “cover the shortage.” Why then does he want to recruit teachers from abroad? It was reported that the ministry would recruit 3,500 teachers from outside the Kingdom. Why does the ministry insist on recruiting these teachers while refusing to hire Saudi English diploma holders? Why does the ministry insist on teaching the language this year when it has not yet provided teachers?
The Saudi diploma holders paid SR25,000 to study English grammar, writing and speaking. I would like to ask: Why does the ministry refuse to hire them? There is nothing sophisticated in the language that they are going to teach; they are only going to teach the basics and the simplest language. If the ministry’s reason is to hire only bachelor degree holders, then why does it hire women teachers who graduated from high school and then studied in institutions and who lack a bachelor degree? Why do they hire female teachers to teach English when they only have a diploma in education? Is it fair that many Saudis paid SR25,000 for a diploma that assures them of being unemployed? We read in the newspapers that the ministry will hire the local teachers under what is called “section 105.” No contract, low salary and no benefits even though teachers from abroad hired by the ministry receive decent salaries and full benefits.
Why does the ministry want to teach English this year if nothing is ready? Why not defer everything to next year? What is being done to the Saudi diploma holders is nothing less than administrative terrorism. Are we facing a financial problem that we cannot give them contracts? What about the rise in oil prices that everybody is talking about? Is money only available if we recruit teachers from abroad? What society wants is to give the Saudi what he deserves and not to replace him or her with a non-Saudi.
