Expatriate women teachers have heaved a sigh of relief over a government announcement that they have until the start of the new academic year to transfer their sponsorship to schools.

However, teachers and educators said that the Ministries of Education and Interior have not resolved several issues regarding the process including whether expatriate workers can return to the sponsorship of their fathers or husbands. Teachers also wanted to know if their husbands would lose the perks of their marital status contracts.

Abdullah Ahmed Thaqfy, director of the education department in Jeddah, told Arab News that Education Ministry officials had talks with their counterparts at the Labor Ministry to extend the period until the new academic year, which would start around Sept. 1, 2014.

Thaqfy said the ministries approved the concession to ensure there was no disruption of the current school year. However, all teachers must transfer their sponsorship at the start of the new academic year, he said.

This came as a relief to many teachers who had planned to leave their schools by Jan. 6. Many had already resigned from their schools, resulting in the disruption of classes.

Shagufta Jamil, a mother, said the situation had resulted in her daughter's entire class failing their math paper because there was no teacher available.

“This is not the only case of a teacher leaving a school. The students are the ones most affected. Even if these schools hire new teachers, it does not mean the students will get along with them. It’s very important for the Education and Labor Ministries to think carefully before taking any action,” said Jamil.

Another parent, Haneen Ahmed, said she was also worried about the situation at schools because of teachers leaving over the iqama transfer issue.

Padma Hariharan, director and head of Novel International Group of Institutions, thanked the ministries for the extra time but said it should provide clear direction on the process involved.

“We understand that it is mandatory for teachers to fall under the sponsorship of their schools. However, we need clarification from the Ministry of Labor on the terms and conditions. For instance, we received a memo from our school owner that a husband has to write a letter to his office or company owner to get his wife released from his sponsorship,” she said.

Hariharan said that some teachers also want to know if their husbands would lose the perks of a contract where their status is "married" if they were taken off their sponsorship. In addition, some husbands have said their companies had not provided assurances that their wives would be able to get back onto their sponsorship.

Hariharan said the ministries must clear up these "doubts" and not disrupt the schooling of students by changing their policies.