ALKHOBAR, 29 November — Teachers here at the Saudi Arabian International School (Pakistan Section), popularly known as the Pakistani school, are outraged over a recent decision by the school’s elected managing committee to cut five percent of the salary of all teaching staff. This is in addition to the discontinuation of a SR400 food allowance given to teachers living in school hostels or those who are working on school visas.
Last week the school replaced the acting principal Omar Farooq and appointed another senior teacher in his place. The school has been without a permanent principal for the past two years. It is said that acting principal Farooq was opposed to any cuts in teachers’ salaries and that this was the reason he was removed from his post.
The school committee says that the decision was not arbitrary, but rather was taken after being approved by the school patron, Pakistani Ambassador Asad Durrani. The committee members say that a salary cut was necessary because of a continuous deficit in the school’s budget. The number of students enrolled in the school has recently been declining, they added.
The Pakistani School, along with Indian schools, is among the educational institutions that charge the lowest fees in the Kingdom.
Students studying in grade XI and XII pay SR250, while the rest pay SR160. There is a discount for parents who have more than one child enrolled in the school. Admission fees at Pakistani schools are a nominal SR300.
The Indian School charges SR1,000 as an ‘establishment levy’ and is non-refundable. The salary of teachers at the Pakistani School ranges from SR1,600 to SR2,250 for those hired locally, but are a little higher for those hired directly from Pakistan.
Teachers challenge the managing committee’s point of view by arguing that a system had been devised to meet the budgetary deficit, under which a reduction in the discount on the fee for the second and third child from a single family had been introduced. This led to a saving of SR1,800,000.
However, the school has given fee concessions of more than SR100,000 to “deserving children” and also purchased buses worth more than SR1 million.
Teachers say that since the prices of many local commodities have risen recently, it was particularly devastating that the management decided to cut their salaries. In other schools, they say, there has been salary increases.
The Indian school recently announced a general increment to its teaching staff.
The teachers further allege that the managing committee is adopting populist policies with re-election in their mind.
In addition to salary cuts, teachers also complain of harassment by committee members, interference in the day-to-day functioning of the school, and constant personal insults.
“Members of the managing committee consider themselves the rulers and the teachers as their personal servants. Every second day teachers are issued notices,” said a teacher who says he has received three notices.
“Teaching used to be a dignified profession, but with the elected managing committee we have lost that dignity,” said another teacher who received a first notice.
There have also been allegations of irregular appointments and favoritism by some members regarding fee concessions.
Teachers and parents alike seem to agree that the main cause of the present instability in the school is that it has been without a permanent principal. The school has advertised the post as vacant and conducted interviews. It finally offered the job to acting principal Farooq, but he refused it as they offered to appoint him only until May 2002.
Normally a school principal is appointed for a three-year period.
It is claimed more generally that the managing committee members are not accountable to anyone.
The Saudi Ministry of Education has clarified that embassies do not have any role in the functioning of their respective community schools.
Parents and teachers add that if this is the case there has to be another body which should act as a watchdog for the managing committee and have the power to overturn their decisions.
