No plan to implement pay-scales for teachers

There is no move planned to regularise the salary of teachers in the UAE, according to a senior federal education official.

Teachers, especially from South Asian schools, have been asking for regularisation of salaries to reduce a disparity in pay with their counterparts in American or British schools, especially in light of regulation of fees charged by schools.

Both Abu Dhabi and Dubai authorities have strict regulations that govern school fee charged by schools.

The Executive Council of Dubai caps the increase in school fees between five and seven per cent. This is a parameter that will change annually depending on the ECI (Education Cost Index), performance of the school and inflation.

Teachers from South Asian schools have been asking for a country-wide pay-scale structure on lines that govern school fees increases.

“Not right now. It’s open, because it’s a competitive market. We have given the right to the private sector to decide on the pay. It will depend on the quality and qualification,” Marwan Al Sawaleh, Under Secretary, Ministry of Education, told Emirates 24|7.

When discrepancy in pay in schools were highlighted, he said, “It’s an issue between the teacher and the school.”

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