Article 349: Teachers Salaries in the Arab Countries, a Hot Point for Policy Makers in the Field of Human Rights
Hasan A. Yahya, Ph.Ds, a writer from Michigan – USA
Three million two hundred thousand teachers work in the United States public school system. The annual average of Kindergarten and elementary- Middle and secondary school teachers earn the following salaries according to Time Magazine:
Bottom 10% percent earn a salary from $30,970 to $34,280, Median teachers earn between $47,100 to $51,180 and the top 10% percent earn from $75,190 to 80,970. The average salary for Arabic bilingual teacher in the United States is $35,000. This average for bilingual teacher salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. This means that salaries in the United States for teachers are three folds higher than teachers’ salaries in almost all Arab countries. For example, in UAE, a rich oil producing country, the annual salary for teachers is between $15,000 and $18,000. According to the United Nations report, in Egypt Jordan, Sudan, Morocco and Somalia between $3,000 and $10,000 annually.
While definition of school teacher levels is not clear and misleading in most Arab countries, , for example in UAE (an oil producing country with less than 10%percent nationals) of all K-12 teachers median salary is different according to national salary data, between High school (AED116,294) and Secondary school ( AED93,893, $US1 =AED3.678 ). Or the Elementary school teacher (AED118,481) and the Primary school teacher (AED102,000). In the Middle school, teachers’ average salary is almost AED40,000 greater than High school teacher. We know that much focus in the western countries, has been placed on the high school (or secondary school) teaching career. Because high school (or the secondary school) is the time for preparing young people on the cusp of adulthood for college and the adult workforce. The three or four years, a student attends high school is when they will learn how to gain the knowledge that will determine how well they will succeed in life. While those in special education, pre-school, Kindergarten, or Elementary school earn an average of AED 57,000 Yearly. However, Kindergarten Teachers (but not special Education) earn an average of AED 108,000.
As we see, the two concepts of elementary and primary are ambiguous terms, as the case between High and Secondary school terms. May be there is a criteria to distinguish between the two terms, but the difference between the High school and Secondary School Teachers is about AED22,401. Between the two terms and between Elementary and Primary school teachers, the difference is AED16,481.
Teachers’ annual salaries contribute in the value of education as well as the morale of teachers. While the data shows averages of national data, the discrepancies between nationals and non-nationals in both public and private schools may vary a great deal. Where in some charity schools teachers earn between AED26,000 and AED60,000 annually. Without bonus or health insurance or retirement benefits. Most non-national teachers earn almost half of nationals, are immediately ordered to leave, unless they have their own regulations with family members or companies for residency, their children also, are not accepted in public schools and cost a great chunk of foreigners’ salaries. While this is common in the rich oil producing countries, in the middle and low income Arab countries, such as Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Somalia the situation is worse among teachers in the labor force. The low wages beside unemployment which sometimes reach between 20% percent to 35% percent in certain countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan. And between 5 to 18 in UAE (Dubai) and Saudi Arabia contribute in unrest and shake credibility of political regimes.
In conclusion, Arab countries have to strongly deal with the problem of teachers low salaries and unemployment according to the law without discrimination between nationals and non-nationals, as well as between foreigners and locals. In many of the rich oil countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Libya, European, American and Canadian Expatriate have higher salaries than locals or other Arab nationals in these countries even if they have the same qualifications. If we consider tax free wages, then we may find the great difference between foreigners (Arab and non-Arab) and locals. If teachers where to be kept abreast of new teaching methodologies, scientific breakthroughs and literary masterpieces, as I mentioned in previous article on education in the Arab countries, they must be motivated by awards and recognized for excellence in addition to observing their salaries. This area needs more attention from policy makers if they plan adequate reforms commensurate with human rights measures. (775 words) www.askdryahya.com
About the Author
Professor, Dr. Hasan A. Yahya is an Arab American writer, scholar, and professor of Sociology, originally from Palestine. He is the honorary Committee Member of the Arab and Muslim Writers Union, graduated from Michigan State University with 2 Ph.d degrees. He published 66 books plus (45 Arabic and 21 English), and 500 plus articles on sociology, religion, psychology, politics, poetry, and short stories. Philosophically, his writings concern logic, justice and human rights worldwide. Dr. Yahya is the author of Crescentologism: The Moon Theory, Islam Finds its Way. His recent publication is : Jesus Christ Speaks Arabic. www.dryahyatv.com
Yachen Gar, June 2005