Teaching needs respect to match the responsibility

Teaching has come equal last in a list of Emiratis' desirable professions, which does not accord with the responsibilities teachers have to prepare the next generation.

When Emiratis voted secondary school teaching, alongside being a chef, as the least desirable career choice available to them, it was a finding that ought to have caused serious concern. While the development of the nation will not be adversely affected by the paucity of Emiratis staffing the kitchens of the UAE, the same cannot be said for the lack of UAE Nationals among those preparing young minds to meet the challenges of the future.

The top places in the survey, commissioned by the Emirates Foundation and conducted by the British University of Dubai over two years, were taken by the usual career paths: engineering, medicine and law enforcement. The first two augur well for the goal to create a knowledge economy, with high-skill, high-paying jobs occupied by Emiratis in a way that diversifies the economy away from extractive industries. And the importance of having Emiratis involved in law enforcement is obvious.

One could contend that having Emiratis in the teaching profession is equally important. Besides the technical skills they impart, Emirati teachers bring with them knowledge about the culture and traditions of the UAE and will imbue these in the generation that will be responsible for steering the country’s future. The expatriates who dominate the teaching profession here – comprising all but 50 of the 11,770 teachers at private schools in Abu Dhabi last year – bring with them their own values rather than the unique mix that makes up UAE culture.

It is not difficult to make the case for local teachers but the more vexing question is how to achieve it. Men in particular were averse to teaching as a career path and that did not just involve secondary education. University professor was rated the third least desirable career in the same survey.

One impediment is the lack of high regard given to teaching compared to other professions. It deserves to be given greater status, as it is in places like Finland, where teachers are drawn from the top 10 per cent of university graduates and are paid accordingly.

For the few who pursue teaching as a career, there has to be proper support, both of the practical kind in running a classroom and also in terms of professional development over their career.

The UAE can bring in expatriate chefs, but when it comes to bringing the best out of the upcoming generation, more teachers need to be Emiratis.