Teachers press demand for health insurance, housing

Many teachers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Education’s inability to provide them with health insurance and accommodation allowance. Teachers say that some conditions require urgent medical attention and government hospitals give patients appointments that can be months away.
Minister of Education Prince Faisal bin Abdullah has said that health insurance and accommodation allowance is not within the ministry’s jurisdiction. This responsibility lies with other bodies. He said the ministry has approached the Ministry of Health on the issue and that the latter has its own point of view.
Teachers account for 57 percent of Saudi government employees. Therefore, the decision to provide health insurance and accommodation allowance is a concern of the state, he said.
Husniya Al-Jahdali, a schoolteacher, feels accommodation allowance is not necessary but that health insurance is essential.
Lina, another schoolteacher, said the Ministry of Education’s school health units for pupils and teachers, which are spread around every region, are neglected. “There is no qualified staff and these health units are merely used to obtain sick leave notes.” She says she does not use the government’s free-of-charge hospitals because of their overcrowding. “An appointment for examination can be months away.”
Maha Salama, another teacher, said accommodation allowance is needed as many female teachers have been in car accidents on their way to schools that are far away from their houses. She also demanded health insurance, as “getting treatment in government hospitals is difficult.”
Abdullah Al-Thaqafi, director of Private Education at the Ministry of Education, said the ministry has attempted to provide health insurance to teachers, “but it failed to achieve that.” However, the Education Department in Jeddah is making arrangements with a number of private hospitals to provide services to teachers at reduced prices, he said, adding that government hospitals are also providing services to teachers. “That’s all we can do for now,” he said. “The ministry is determined to provide all means of convenience to teachers in terms of job security and health care. Private hospitals are being as receptive as we had hoped.”
He said that Education Ministry’s health units provide services for simple illnesses. When conditions need more advanced health care, a request is filed to a specialist hospital, he said.