The Ministry of Education (MoE) does not have the right to terminate the services of any teacher under the current civil service law, which stipulates that it is not permitted to terminate the services of an employee, except on the condition he or she is absent from work for 15 days, without an unacceptable excuse, Al Rai daily said, quoting a specialized educational source in the Ministry of Education. This came as a response to rumours about the crisis of teachers stranded abroad.
The source stressed to Al-Rai daily that the law needs to change for the ministry to be allowed to terminate the services of any teacher. As for the issue of returning the teachers with required specializations, and not allowing the return of some teachers with unrequired specializations, this is another issue that has nothing to do with the termination of services for teachers or allowing them to return to their jobs, because his or her absence from work due to the exceptional circumstances of the coronavirus that includes airport suspensions, and limited flights, is treated as an acceptable excuse.
The source said that stopping the teacher’s salary does not mean the termination of his service, but rather a measure taken by school districts in reaction to the teacher’s absence, whether with or without an excuse.
The daily said, quoting the source, that the ministry has not yet taken any action against the stranded teachers and does not have the appropriate mechanism to disburse their dues, if coordinated with the service bureau, to terminate the services of the specializations not required by the schools.