1,400 teachers to lose their jobs by end of year

Move is part of Emiratisation plan and will also see male teachers replaced with females in lower grades.

ABU DHABI // More than a thousand teachers will lose their jobs before the end of this year as part of an Emiratisation programme by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec).

The announcement was made this morning by Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, Adec director general, who said 1,400 teachers would receive news of their decision in the coming days.

“There will be turnover of about 12 per cent,” said Dr Al Khaili. “What we are doing is in favour of the education standards we want to set in the emirate.”

He said some of the redundancies were because teachers did not have the correct qualifications – with some not having as much as a bachelor's degree in teaching. “They cannot continue with those standards,” he said.

He said some teachers would resign; others would not have their contracts renewed. Teachers who are retiring will also be replaced.

He added that Adec had decided to end contracts for male teachers in ten Cycle-1 schools –Grade 1 to Grade 5 – for boys. Male teachers will be replaced by female Emirati teachers in all Cycle 1 schools soon, according to Dr Al Khaili.

“The plan is to feminise all Cycle 1 schools in the emirate, starting with 10 schools in September,” he said.“This is because a lot of female students are graduating from education programmes at federal universities and the number will increase in the future.

“We need to nationalise the education system and open opportunities for our daughters. We will try to minimise the effect of the programme as much as possible."