JEDDAH, 21 February 2005 — In a country where great value is put on family values, many teachers are learning that “family values” means other people’s spouses and children — not theirs.
Teachers are needed across the country, both in the cities and remote areas, but Ministry of Education assignments are splitting up married couples, sometimes forcing families to split up with the father raising the older children while the mother keeps the youngest.
The problems are compounded when repeated requests for reassignment fall on deaf ears.
“We’ve been married for four years, and I still feel like I’m single,” said Abdul Aziz Al-Harthi, an English teacher in Makkah Province who’s married to a biology teacher in the Southern Province. “I only meet my wife for a few days on the weekends or during summer vacation.”
Al-Harthi says it’s not an uncommon situation. “My wife is supposed to go back to her small, remote village with her teacher friends from Makkah who are suffering the same way,” he said. “Some of them are married, and some are much worse because they are single and facing a lot of difficulties with their parents.”
The ministry seems unconcerned with their plight.
“I’ve made requests to the Education Ministry many times to transfer my wife to Makkah or transfer me to where she works, because it would be easier for us, less expensive and involve fewer risks,” he said. “Nothing is done, and our situation is still the same. I later asked if they could transfer both of us to Taif, but the ministry has rejected everything, and all our attempts have ended in failure.”
According to teachers interviewed for this story, some marriages have ended in divorce because of reassignments. Despite the fact that transfer of a married woman to a remote place can eat up to a third of her paycheck in transportation expenses alone, the love and caring of a devoted spouse can offset the cruelty of an uncaring bureaucracy.
“Our situation is very bad,” said teacher Fawaz Zhairy. “We were living together happily when both of us were working as teachers in the same province. Suddenly, a month after we were married, the Education Ministry transferred my wife to another school 480 km away from Jeddah. They didn’t even consider how risky it is to force a woman to travel alone by car from one area to another.”
As many young couples do, they started a family. It’s just that for them, starting a family was a little more complicated.
“After a year, she had to take our baby boy with her going to and from where she works,” Zhairy said. “Our problem became more difficult when she got pregnant with twins. When she gave birth, we learned the twins were suffering from heart problems. It was impossible for them to travel with her because there were no hospitals near the village.”
We expect teachers to be good role models, and nothing will stop this couple from properly caring for their children.
“I kept the twins with me while she took the first child. We were like a scattered family,” Zhairy said. “Now I’m trying to get a part-time job to increase my salary to pay for two apartments — hers and mine — and to be able to cover all our child expenses.”
This splitting of teachers’ families is not a new phenomenon — it’s been going on for years. It may not be appreciated, but it’s something you have to get used to.
“My wife and I have been separated in different provinces for long time. I’m used to taking her to and from the station when she comes from or goes to work,” said Ahmad Al-Maqaty, a teacher. “I’ve became well-known to the station’s staff because of my constant visits. This routine and the absence of my wife in our house is no fun. It’s also tiring because I have to take care of the kids at home, which makes me a mother and a father at the same time.”
Children still come first.
“I wouldn’t do this if we had no kids,” Al-Maqaty said. “I’d tell her to stay in the province where she works, and we’d meet only during summer vacation.”
The next time you meet a teacher, ask yourself how much you would be willing to sacrifice to guide other people’s children, and you may find yourself wondering why the ministry officials aren’t asking themselves the same question.
