Teachers and administrators in private schools in Sharjah, UAE, today reported that their schools obliged them to attend the day before yesterday despite the heavy rains witnessed by the state and the decision of the Ministry of Education to suspend the study.
Teachers, who asked not to be named, said: “On Wednesday, from 8 to 11 am, a school administration forced us between the walls of our offices without work, under the pressure that three days of our salaries would be deducted if we were absent.” They added, «We demand a leave if the disruption of schooling in the same way as students».
A teacher pointed out that one of her classmates disrupted her car in the rain water, and could not always, and punished the school by deducting her salary.
"The school administration obliges us to come in bad weather, at the time of the students' leave, and often we spend the day without work," said an administrator, demanding that the school give them leave with the students.
On the other hand, a teacher said that «the school administration decided to hold an exam for students yesterday (Thursday), in order to oblige them to attend, despite the instability of the weather».
Private schools in Dubai and Sharjah told parents they had asked to suspend classes on Thursday because of damage to their buildings from recent rains.
Al-Hosani: Disrupting teachers is a matter of school
The Director General of the Special Education Authority in Sharjah, Ali Al Hosani, told «Emirates Today», «the decision of the Authority was to disrupt the attendance of students in private schools in the emirate, while the decision to disable administrators and teachers is a private matter for each school, as it has the right to grant them a leave or demand them to attend ».
As for the Sabbath holiday, he said that each school has its own bylaws, and perhaps the school's bylaws, which require its administrators to attend on Saturday, provide for this.