The recent drive to flush out expatriates who are staying and working against the rules of the Kingdom is indeed a step toward creating better working atmosphere in the country.
The ongoing campaign will help both Saudis as well as for those expats who are working legally in different departments. This is the country where people can work and earn their bread and butter without paying taxes, which is perhaps unique in the world.
The government in the Kingdom has also allowed the expatriate community to run private and community schools throughout the Kingdom without any restrictions. Majority of community schools here are being run as a service to the respective communities and not for financial benefits. These schools have been depending mostly on housewives of expatriate workers.
Employing housewives as teachers enables these schools to provide good education at very modest tuition fees, which is very helpful to the medium and lower income class expatriates. These teachers usually perform their best despite getting low salaries.
As a result of the drive, the community schools will be forced to hire male teachers from abroad, which will force the schools to raise their tuition fees, affecting low-salaried parents’ ability to pay the expenses for their children’s education. Many of these expats may be forced to send their families back home.
Consequently, remittances from Saudi Arabia will rise, impacting the Kingdom’s economy. The departure of students will also force these schools to raise their charges further. These expatriate housewives are occupying jobs, which are not affecting the Saudization drive as these posts cannot be taken by locals.
I request the authorities for their kindness toward this issue and give some time to sort out the matter and particularly with regard to those schools which are newly established as ours in Tabuk. This kind gesture will give parents peace of mind as far as the education of their children is concerned as well as these schools, which can continue to provide quality education at a affordable cost. — Mahmood Maroof, Tabuk
Saudization drive
