RIYADH, 16 June 2003 — Professors in at least two of the Kingdom’s leading universities are expressing concern over low salaries, which are forcing many professionals to consider higher-paying jobs with private companies.
A recent article in Al-Madinah newspaper pointed to the problem of low salaries at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. Arab News found a similar trend at King Saud University in Riyadh, where professors expressed dissatisfaction with the current salary scales, which they say are not on a par with those of other professions.
“Salary scales at the university as in other civil jobs have remained the same for the last 20 years,” said Dr. Abdul Aziz Rabeh Al-Harbi, vice dean of the college of agriculture and a professor in the plant production department at King Saud University.
“Private companies definitely offer their employees greater salaries,” he said. He added, however, that not all university professionals can easily find jobs in the private sector, as there are only a few select fields of study that are in high demand, such as computers, engineering and finance.
Dr. Arjumand Warsi, a professor in the biochemistry department at the college of medicine, said that private universities were one option, but added that such universities were few in number. “Once more private universities are established, they will offer more job opportunities,” she said.
For some professionals, the low salaries are a cause for concern, but earning more money is not an immediate goal. Their dedication to the university and their contributions to research often surpass the need for a higher salary.
One professor said that while the salary scale may be in need of change, most professors working at the university already receive a number of benefits such as free housing (for non-Saudis) and free health care. Saudis pay for housing, he said, but at a competitive rate. “There are a lot of trade-offs,” he said, adding that people in the private sector usually worked longer hours and may have less time to spend with their families.
Syed Abid Ali, a former student and a now a faculty member at another leading university, said that the pressure of work in a corporate environment “is like a sword hanging over your head.”
This is not to say that there is no pressure in an academic environment, said Ali, “but still, relatively speaking, you are in a much less pressured environment.”
Both Ali and the professor pointed to the fact that many academics, especially in mainstream subjects such as information technology and computer science, can earn extra money by working as consultants outside the university.
“University regulations also allow professors to make a contract with a private company through the Prince Abdullah Institute for Research and Consultative Studies,” Dr. Al-Harbi told Arab News.
Consultancy projects, however, are only available in certain fields of study and therefore benefit only a select group of people.
Until the university implements any new changes, low salaries will continue to be a cause of concern and dissatisfaction among university professors.
