Female public school teachers who have participated in the campaign to eradicate illiteracy have requested payment from the general presidency for the adult literacy classes they teach after school hours. They have not received a response from the Ministry of Education to date.
Maha, a teacher who did not want her full name disclosed, confirmed to Arab News that she did not receive entitlement payment for adult literacy classes since the beginning of the school year.
Apart from their salaries for teaching students during the morning hours, Maha revealed that the teachers were promised SR 75 for each two-hour session they taught in afternoon literacy classes, a sum which amounts to SR 3,600 a month. She added that the general presidency responded to their complaints by stating they have no right to claim, as their salaries cover evening literacy classes and that they were only promised bonuses.
According to Maha, failure to compensate teachers begs the question as to why they should have to work in the evening.
She disclosed the difficulties teachers face in trying to communicate with the general presidency’s office. She noted that in their last correspondence with authorities, they were told that their claims were sent to Riyadh, but not to expect their bonuses to be released until the end of the school year.
Despite these obstacles, Maha has expressed hope that the Department of Education would not neglect their rights and that the problem remains as to when they will receive their entitlements.
Fatima, another teacher who did not want her full name published, said the decision to teach adults literacy courses was optional but that teachers did not know there would be delays in their compensation.
She recalled that at the beginning, the teachers were enthusiastic about the illiteracy campaign, but their excitement has dwindled as the school year draws to a close without having received any compensation.
She also indicated that most teachers have vowed not to participate in the campaign next year, adding that the illiteracy program was not a new initiative, but that in previous years, teachers were compensated monthly with around a quarter of their salaries.
Laila Al-Ghamdi, another teacher participating in the illiteracy campaign, said that 80 percent of teachers offering adult literacy classes in the evening did not receive their entitlements. She further clarified that Rahmah Idriss, director of the adult literacy campaign, is assisting the teachers with their claims. However, the response from officials is that they are still trying to reach officials in Riyadh.
