National and foreign schools employing dependent expatriate women teachers need at least six months to process applications and attest the educational qualifications of candidates, a leading educator said Wednesday.
Padma Hariharan, director and head of Novel International Group of Institutions, has called on the Ministry of Education to extend the Oct. 2 deadline for it to receive job applications.
The ministry sent a circular earlier this week to all schools setting out the various requirements for schools to hire women dependants of expatriates working in the Kingdom. The ministry wants to process all job applications by Nov. 4 this year.
In the memorandum, the ministry says an eligibility certificate will be issued for candidates and their schools, which they have to show labor officials during possible inspections.
“I do thank the Ministry of Education and the general directorate of education for streamlining the process so dependents can work legally in Saudi Arabia. It is wonderful to see that we are looking at hiring qualified teachers, but the deadline is too short for the attestation of certificates,” Hariharan said.
She said visa numbers are required by the authorities to attest the certificates, with visas only issued to schools that meet all criteria. However, evaluations are ongoing and many schools have not been issued with visa numbers.
She suggested that the ministry set up a training center for teachers, particularly new teachers, to familiarize them with the curriculum they have to teach. This way, the ministry could build a database of competent teachers to fill interim positions.
She was also concerned about what would happen if teachers do not return to work following the summer break. Schools would then struggle to fill these positions and would have to go through the whole process with new candidates in the short time provided by the government.
Mahjbeen Nusrat, a principal at an international school, was also concerned about the time left till the deadline. “We are very thankful to the ministry for allowing women teachers to work under the law, but the time period is not enough. We request the ministry to consider the situation and extend the time needed for the attestation of certificates and other issues,” she said.
According to the ministry, applicants must have a valid iqama, suitable academic qualifications, a fitness certificate issued by an authorized medical authority, be under 60 years of age, and not have any job contracts with other firms in the Kingdom. Candidates must also not have any criminal or other conviction. Schools must submit the applications of candidates with stamped copies of employment contracts, passports and iqamas. In addition, candidates must have qualification certificates attested by the Saudi Embassy in their home countries and information related to Saudization issued by the labor office. A candidate must also have a letter from her spouse addressed to the school indicating that he allows her to work.
All job contracts would end with the completion of the husband’s contract or termination of his services.
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