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Pakistani teachers in Dubai cry foul over 'illegal termination'

Dubai - 15 teachers call for justice, compensation.

Teachers at the His Highness Shaikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistan School Dubai in Al Qusais who were allegedly illegally terminated in the last quarter of last year are seeking justice and demanding a probe into the issue.
"There are 15 of us who were fired by Akhtar Waqas (school principal) without reason," Javaid Iqbal, coordinator, senior teachers told Khaleej Times on Tuesday during a press briefing. "We want justice and be compensated for dues pending to us. We ask that the rules and regulations of the UAE in the hiring and termination of employees be applied to us."
The teachers also allege that Waqas has been working illegally since March last year because he has no employment visa and he has not got approval from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
Mohammed Darwish, Chief of Regulations and Permits Commission at KHDA, in a statement to Khaleej Times, said: "Every principal at a private school in Dubai is required to go through the principal appointment process at the KHDA and cannot be at the helm of school affairs unless the required process has been completed."
The school is run under the jurisdiction of the Pakistani Consulate General in Dubai.
Sumaira Tariq, who taught at the school for almost seven years, said: "There was no reason given in the termination letter dated November 25 handed over to me. So I asked the principal what my mistake was and he did not say anything."
"After I persisted, I was told disciplinary action was taken against me. I was also informed that I will not get any compensation nor experience certificate. This is unacceptable because my daughter is on my visa and I'm a widow," added Tariq.
Another teacher claimed that she was fired because she had a disagreement with the wife of the principal.
Sana Jawad, who taught Geography to senior students for two months only, said she was preparing her students for the federal board exam when Mrs. Waqas, who is a "volunteer" at the school, asked her to change the curriculum.
"I told her we don't have much time," said Jawad. "Maybe we should do that after the federal board exam but she got angry."
The principal responded to a call from Khaleej Times by saying that he cannot comment on the allegations hurled by the teachers.
"The school is run by the PCG and there is also the school Board of Governors. The best person to talk to is the Consul General and the Head of Chancery," he said. "They make the decisions and I just run the day-to-day affairs of the school. There is a rigorous process of hiring and also a rigorous process of firing," he added.
The Consul General was, however, not available for comments.
Meanwhile, civic leaders and politicians belonging to the Pakistani community are seeking immediate resolution of the issue.
angel@khaleejtimes.com