Students in classroom at Wellington International School, Dubai.-File photo
Dubai - A resident in the UAE for 15 years and teaching for five, AH's salary has increased from Dh9,000 to Dh10,500 in that time.
By Kelly Clarke
Published: Mon 25 Jun 2018, 6:00 PM
Last updated: Mon 25 Jun 2018, 8:11 PM
Despite private schools in the Dubai generating a staggering Dh7.5 billion in tuition fees for the 2017-18 academic year, many teachers here have been left questioning why this hasn't reflected in their pay scales.
When Khaleej Times reached out to several teachers from different nationalities, working across a host of curriculums in Dubai, all of them agreed unanimously that teacher salaries are not on par with the billions being made in school revenues.
"I was horrified at the news that so much money has been made by private schools. Education should not really generate profit. How much profit private investors are allowed to make should be capped and the rest should be reinvested into better teacher salaries, libraries, sports facilities, premises," said AH, a Hungarian teacher at a British for-profit school.
A resident in the UAE for 15 years and teaching for five, AH's salary has increased from Dh9,000 to Dh10,500 in that time. "The increments I received annually have ranged between 1.5 to 5 per cent. It has never kept up with the rate of inflation or the introduction of tax. I accept this state of affairs, as my current school gives my son a free place. For many teachers, that is the only reason they stay in a badly paid teaching job."
Indian teacher KM, who teaches in an IGCSE curriculum, has received a 33 per cent increase in her salary in four years; a fair hike, she said, but given her low salary, it's just not enough. "I started out on Dh4,500 per month and now I am getting Dh6,000. I feel schools generate a lot of money from students, but pay very low rates to teachers in comparison."
According to the latest Dubai Private Education Landscape Report by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), private schools here generated Dh700 million more in revenue for the current academic year compared to the previous year.
Despite this significant boost for schools, the teachers just aren't feeling the benefit.
As a science teacher at a British curriculum school in Dubai, Indian expatriate SM has been teaching for 10 years.
Like KM, she has received a significant hike in pay over the last decade; 126 per cent in fact. That is significantly more than most teachers here, but when you take into account her actual pay against her years of experience, it is "far too low". "I started out at Dh3,310 per month and now I earn Dh7,500. I make no savings at all; in fact, I was able to save more when in India. The report about school revenues didn't surprise me in the least. As teachers, we know that schools make that much. I'm just disappointed that we are not given a right claim to what we deserve in terms of salary."
Double discrimination
Although different education authorities regulate private schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (KHDA in Dubai and the Department of Education and Knowledge, or Adek, in the Capital) - neither regulates teachers' salaries. Instead, it's the schools or schooling organisations that do.
With that, a second issue has been raised by teachers; disparity in pay across different nationalities. One British teacher Khaleej Times spoke to, a science teacher working for the same grade as SM, said he earned Dh14,700 a month - almost double of SM's pay.
Australian expatriate TB has been privy to this kind of prejudice too. "I have worked in schools in Dubai that have paid me more, simply because of my passport," she told Khaleej Times.
Teaching grades 6-12 at an International Baccalaureate school and as head of department, TB has been teaching in Dubai for 9 years. Before that, she worked back home in Australia. "When I first came here, I was on Dh11,000. Now I am on Dh17,000. My salary has slowly risen, as my experience and position have changed."
Despite earning significantly more than some of her counterparts from different nationalities, TB said it is difficult to provide for a family and save at the same time. "The cost of living has increased so much that it is getting harder and harder to justify staying here. I save money only because my children's school fees are covered in my package. Without this, we couldn't afford to stay in Dubai."
When asked if she was surprised by the fact that private schools made Dh7.5 billion in tuition fees in one year, she said no. "As a parent and teacher, I am very aware of what school fees cost here. Schools are now big business and no longer altruistic establishments."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com
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