RIYADH, 24 August — Khaloofa Al-Zahrani, a computer science teacher at a Riyadh school, has been dreaming of the day when he will see either his name or that of his wife on the transfer list of teachers. He has wanted for as long as he can remember nothing more than most of us take for granted: a peaceful and happily married life
It’s not that he isn’t married. He is. It’s that he has been living separately from his wife because she was initially appointed to teach in a different region. The appointment system has made Zahrani’s life a misery, as he has in effect lived as a bachelor. So before the new list of transfers were issued by education authorities a few weeks ago, both Zahrani and his wife hoped their dream of living in the same region would at last be realized.
Zahrani’s wife had applied for a transfer to Riyadh. If that was not possible, he prayed to get a transfer himself to Baha. If both options were impossible, he will wait another year and apply once again to be put on the new list. But neither Al-Zahrani nor his wife entertained the idea that their dreams would be realized at the same time — thus making things even worse.
“I thanked God when I saw the name of my wife on the list of those being transferred to Riyadh. I congratulated her and started preparing for her to arrive in Riyadh. But my happiness did not last long. After two days, when the list of transfers for male teachers came through, I found that I myself was being transferred to Baha,” he told Arab News.
Al-Zahrani has applied to stop his transfer, but the authorities have rejected his application.
