1,400 teachers lose jobs

Fourteen hundred teachers will lose their jobs by the end of this year as part of UAE government's Emiratisation programme launched by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, Adec Director General while announcing this decision said that the teachers would get notices within a few days. Dr Al Khaili said, “What we are doing is in favour of the education standards we want to set in the Emirate.” He also emphasized that this is also due to the fact that some teachers don’t have proper qualifications, with some having as much as a Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching. “They cannot continue with those standards,” he said. He added that some teachers would resign; those who donot resign would not have their contracts renewed. Teachers who are retiring will also be replaced. ADEC had decided to end contracts for male teachers in ten Cycle-1 schools –Grade 1 to Grade 5 – for boys. Male teachers will be replaced by female Emirati teachers in all Cycle 1 schools. Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili said, “The plan is to feminize all Cycle 1 schools is going in the Emirates, starting with 10 schools in September and this is because a lot of female students are graduating from education programmes at federal universities and the number will increase in the future. We need to nationalize the education system and open opportunities for our daughters. We will try to minimize the effect of the programme as much as possible.” It should be noted that recently in a major shake-up in Abu Dhabi's education system as much as 40 schools have been merged and 23 new schools are opening at the start of the 2011-12 academic year as per UAE's plan for the reorganization of schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia.