500 UAE nationals to replace 800 expat teachers - Khaleej Times Online

ABU DHABI — In what could be the biggest shake-up of teachers in the country’s history, the Ministry of Education is planning on recruiting almost 500 UAE nationals teachers to replace expatriates. The plan, if approved, will see almost 800 expatriate teachers being asked to leave or being terminated.

500 will replace 800? Doesn't make sense. Perhaps there's more to tell.

Under the new plan, the 500 national teachers will be offered scales with financial allotments. Almost 95 per cent of the recruited teachers will be females.

Very few UAE national males select teaching as a profession. Will UAE females be teaching UAE males at the high school level? Or is most of the substitution occuring at the younger age grade levels?

The move is being taken as part of the substitution plan the Ministry is pursuing in its all out bid to place more UAE citizens in teaching posts. Official sources at the technical office of the Minister of Education at the ministry's office in Abu Dhabi said that the ministry would submit a memorandum to the Cabinet for approval, as the appointment of such a large number of teachers will cost the exchequer at least Dh30 million.

30 million dirham annually would be 60,000 dirham [$16,300] for each of 500 teachers. That appears to be a plausible figure for the incremental cost of replacing an expatriate teacher with a UAE national teacher.

According to the sources, in the event that the Cabinet does give its approval to the MoE’s plan, the services of a very larger number of expatriate teachers in the UAE would be terminated, with some placing the figure at 800.

This number will be the biggest one as far as the plan is concerned, the sources said, adding that the Ministry had already obtained the lists of national male and female teachers for the appointments that it plans.

Expatriate teachers of Arabic, English and Mathematics would be replaced by national counterparts, the sources said.

The sources, however said the plan for recruitment of national teachers, which was formed during the term of office of the former Minister of Education, had done nothing. Therefore, the plan would be dissolved and other bodies having the same specialisation in running such matters would be relied on in implementing the substitution policy.

It's interesting that "the Ministry had already obtained the lists of national male and female teachers for the appointments that it plans" and yet "the plan for recruitment of national teachers, which was formed during the term of office of the former Minister of Education, had done nothing." Is there a plan to terminate the persons engaged in that planning given that "other bodies having the same specialisation in running such matters would be relied on in implementing the substitution policy"?