Kuwait: Ministry of Education (MoE) officials revealed yesterday that expatriate teachers will receive no bonuses for their work this year. The news came as a shock to many expatriate teachers, who form the majority of the ministry’s teaching staff, particularly at high schools. Although teachers were previously promised pay rises and increased housing allowances, no such increases have yet been approved.
Mohammad, a 47-year old Egyptian teacher, pointed out that the strife of expatriate teachers has been ongoing for years, with the teachers demanding not equal rights with the Kuwaiti teachers but at least salary increases and more benefits. “We are here to make a living and provide a service for this country,” he said. “The ministry officials have been very vague with us; whenever we asked about increases and benefits they said that it is on the agenda, but we’ve seen very little action taken in that regard.
Mohammad added that the expatriate teachers have been hearing vague promises of regulations to give them more rights since the tenure of previous education minister Nouriyah Al-Sabeeh, but have so far seen no action to back the words up. Abeer, another expatriate teacher echoed Mohammad’s sentiments, saying that while the ministry was generous enough to arrange for her to live in a building with other teachers with whom she shares an apartment, very little has been done in terms of maintenance there.
The process of fixing things when they break is difficult through the ministry; we end up coping with the faulty facilities like water heaters and air conditioning that break down often, or we pay from our own pocket to get things fixed. Regardless of all of this, we still don’t receive bonuses even though we are the first to sign up for proctoring and extra work at the end of the school year, which is a job that is tiring and exhausting,” she complained.
One MoE insider said that while many high profile officials wish to improve the situation for expatriate teachers the ministry’s list of priorities is skewed. “The ministry spends a lot of money giving bonuses to Kuwaiti teachers, and then you find reports of corruption and nepotism, as well as complaints from some officials that these teachers are incompetent,” the insider explained.
In many instances, the same teachers who are accused of incompetence are the ones who receive excellent reports. This bureaucracy and corruption exists in all government establishment, we understand that, but the Ministry of Education especially should be exempt from this general unwritten rule.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the insider, who works in a local education zone’s supervisory department, said that from his work he notices that many expatriate teachers work hard and receive excellent reports, but no action is taken to reward them. “Aside from certificates of appreciation and small bonuses, they receive very little encouragement,” he said.
The Kuwait Teachers Association has already issued a statement on the issue, urging ministry officials and decision makers to take action in order to improve expatriate teachers’ pay and conditions. “It goes without saying that if the teachers are satisfied and financially stable, they will perform better. A lot teachers, Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti, are competent and hard-working.
They deserve to receive bonuses and should be encouraged for the effort they exert. The Kuwait Teachers Association sees it as vital that the Ministry of Education practices a transparent and fair policy in its treatment of employees. ” said Abdulrahman Al-Kandari, the chair of the Kuwait Teachers Association.
© Kuwait Times
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