JEDDAH, 26 March 2006 — A group of public teachers who specialize in gifted and talented students have been involved in a class-action lawsuit against the Ministry of Civil Services.
The group of 97 educators is demanding that teachers in this field be given the same higher pay scale provided to other teachers who chose a career in special education.
The lawyer in the case has decided to split the group and file two separate lawsuits in June.
Special education is often associated with students with learning disabilities, but the lawyer for the teachers claims that the internationally accepted definition of “special education” includes any students whose needs cannot be met in conventional classrooms and therefore require special learning environments.
“The ministry argued that expanding the incentive to include the gifted-student teachers is out of their jurisdiction,” said Khaled Al-Mitari, the lawyer representing the teachers.
Al-Mitari pointed out that former Education Minister Muhammad Al-Rashed had raised the issue with the Ministry of Civil Services to include these teachers in the special education category in 2004.
The plaintiffs argue that the time and the effort required to educate talented students has driven some away from this specialty field. The absence of the financial motive is a major issue, they argue.
“We are teaching the future scientists of this country,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Sugayer, one of the plaintiffs teaching in the Al-Kharj region south of Riyadh. “Our work must be acknowledged and appreciated.”
The original lawsuit was filed in September, but without elaborating. Al-Mitari said he is planning on splitting the teachers into two groups and filing two separate lawsuits.
Public school teachers that focus on special education for students with learning disabilities have since the late 1970s received higher salaries than conventional teachers. Teachers who have majored in special education in college receive 30 percent higher salaries while those that have been certified get a 20-percent premium for their specialty. The raise was given in order to encourage Saudi teachers to enter the field.
Since the 1970s, special education has become a diverse professional field with various specialties, and Al-Mitari’s case against the ministry hinges on whether teachers who educate gifted and talented students should be included in the special education field in the Kingdom.
The teachers are arguing that building courses and curriculums for these students can be as challenging as it is for other students with learning disabilities.
The ministry’s response has been that teaching students with learning disabilities is more challenging than teaching gifted students and therefore these teachers have it easier.
The lawsuit is being filed now because of a five-year statute of limitations and some of the plaintiffs are entering their fourth year of teaching.
Al-Sugayer said that teaching a talented student requires the same if not more than students with learning disabilities. Al-Sugayer graduated from the College of Education with an emphasis on teaching excellence and innovation. Since that time he and his colleagues have been working in public schools.
“It takes 10 hours to prepare the lessons for my students,” said Al-Sugayer. “They need special programs to stimulate their minds. Most of the time I have to finish that work at home. The lessons take effort and time. There’s still no specific curriculum for gifted students (in the Kingdom). Teachers have to depend on themselves to figure out what suits their students at different levels.”
The plaintiffs are in the process of forming their own website aimed at presenting their case to the public and connecting with other teachers, especially female teachers that share the same ordeal.
