UAE Minister Denies Expat Teachers Are Stealing Emirati Jobs

Expatriate teachers in the UAE are being accused of stealing qualified Emirati teachers’ jobs.

According to the UAE’s Ministry of Education undersecretary, accusations that expatriate teachers are taking jobs from qualified local teachers are false. In response to negative comments during a Federal National Council meeting, Dr Haman Mohammad al Yahyaei told reporters the argument was based on a debate on local teachers’ unemployment rates in which another lawmaker blamed expat teachers for the poor performance of Emirati pupils. The argument was based on just one term in the academic year’s first quarter, during which children have just moved up a grade and take time to tackle new subjects.

Al Yahyaei believes the trend is common in all schools across the world and therefore cannot be attributed to the nationality of teachers, with making expat teachers scapegoats by raising the topic not the right way to solve the problem. The minister added qualified expat teachers are being hired in order to promote diversity in education, their formal training process is rigorous and diversity in schools prepares students for a more successful future. During the meeting, one lawmaker said hiring Emiratis provides what expats cannot – knowledge of and respect for Emirati values. In reply, the minister said all schools protect the local culture and values, but it’s important to expose pupils to other cultures.

According to statistics, 3,430 foreign teachers including 1,500 from Western countries were hired over the past 18 months. No figures as to the number of Emirati teacher hirings were given, but lawmakers are arguing that the figures show 3,430 Emirati teachers remain unemployed. Al Yahyaei also reported teething problems with a number of innovative new courses such as business programming and creative design as well as other courses being taught in English. He believes employing expatriate teachers with backgrounds in medicine, science and engineering will ensure the Emirates have graduates able to span both their own countries and the rest of the world.