International schools are in a state of panic over the status of employment of their teachers.

The Ministry of Education has stipulated that teachers submit dossiers, which include original copies of their qualifications, and sit through interviews and tests in order to receive an eligibility certificate.

Many schools have failed to meet the initial Sept. 29 deadline set by the ministry.

The dilemma facing school administrations is further compounded by the fact that the Ministry of Labor is insisting that dependent expatriate teachers eventually transfer their sponsorship onto the schools in which they work.

Tanveer Tariq, principal of Hala International School, told Arab News that many schools are facing dire administrative difficulties since many teachers have refused to transfer their sponsorship.

“We received word from the Ministry of Education yesterday that teachers will eventually have to transfer their residency permits onto the school and that there will be no other choice in the matter,” she said.

“They have given us a three-month grace period to transfer sponsorships after the Haj vacation.”

The Ministry of Education, she said, has currently confined their conditions to ascertaining the validity of qualifications and residency permits.

Padma Hariharan, director and head of the Novel Group of Institutions, said that they received the conditions from the Ministry of Education, among which is one that stipulates that teachers can only teach subjects in which they are specialized. “How is this practical when we are well into the academic year? Mathematics teachers, for instance, are hard to find here,” she said.

She pointed out that qualified teachers are capable of teaching subjects other than the subjects in which they are specialized.

“It is hard to find trained and qualified teachers in specific subjects. Add to that the fact that we have been told that we will no longer be able to recruit teachers after the Haj break,” she said.

"Academic administrators will not be able to operate productively if existing teachers do not pass the eligibility criteria,” she said. "Authorities should consider all these factors before taking action."

Arab News spoke to Abdullah bin Mohammed Aloiyan, general manager at the Labor Ministry in Jeddah, to ascertain whether teachers have to transfer their sponsorship or whether the certificates issued by the Ministry of Education would suffice.

He said that they were currently only checking certificates but that teachers would eventually have to transfer their sponsorship regardless of the paperwork currently being requested by the Ministry of Education.