Khaled Al Ameri is fortunate to be earning Dh26,000 (Emirati public-school teachers 'will quit over work appraisals', July 31). From my knowledge, many teachers in mainstream and special-needs schools in this country are earning less than Dh6,000. I know some special educators who get Dh3,500 a month. With such low income, it is understandable that most teachers quit.
Gaby Priestley, Abu Dhabi
Why should a qualified teacher with a masters or a doctoral degree take less than half the salary she or he can get doing another job?
Being a teacher is hard work. They are educating future, so they should be treated with respect and given proper salaries.
If this issue is not looked into, this country will face a serious shortage of teachers.
Sandra Alsayed, Abu Dhabi
I dream of earning Dh26,000 and I am in the banking sector working more than nine hours a day.
Kristina Margit, Dubai
Expatriates benefit country in many ways
The headline Expats using business loophole to stay in UAE after retirement (July 31) may convey a negative impression about the expatriate community, but this phenomenon is beneficial for the country.
Many expatriates who have been in this country for a long time consider it to be their home with their families and children wanting to settle here. They are ready to invest their lifetime of savings in this country. They feel that the UAE is a safe country to live.
This is the case in most developed countries that encourage expatriates to invest in return for residence visas.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
There ought to be an easier way to stay here in the near future. Business loopholes are not sustainable over the long term – retirement funds ought to be used for retirement and not to try to stay in a country with “rules” that doesn’t benefit anyone.
Carla Botha, US
Bleak prospect for oil recovery
I refer to the report Oil price recovery, Expo 2020 to provide impetus for UAE economic growth, Meed report says (August 1). Unfortunately, oil prices are still falling as some of the production that was temporarily disrupted comes back online. There has been some upward movement in the rig count in the US, but it is nowhere near the pre-2014 level and it's doubtful that it will cross the 500 mark this year.
West Texas Intermediate has moved closer to $40 with Brent not far behind. There is still considerable inventory overhang that impacts the supply side. The chief executive of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has forecast that prices will increase to $60 in 2017 based on stronger demand.
I think new production will take some time as oil companies slashed their capex budgets by some $300 billion, meaning there was almost no exploration. Deepwater wells will take on average five to six years to develop, so hopefully this will impact the supply side.
Governments of oil producing nations need to take a conservative approach to oil pricing and instead manage public spending very carefully and focus on diversification in the non-oil sector.
Randall Mohammed, Dubai
Reem clamours for a park
Regarding the news report Abu Dhabi's $1bn Reem Mall project set to be built by Al Futtaim Carillion (August 1), I'd hoped for something so much more interesting on Reem Island (which just seems to move from mediocre to dull at a blistering pace). Where's the park, for example? Not a single person living on Reem would like to get out of their homes and take their children to the park? A park where the "community" is supposed to meet, share, innovate, talk?
John Laing, Abu Dhabi
