Private school teachers ‘pressured to resign during school holidays’, says syndicate

AMMAN — An increasing number of teachers in private schools are pressured to resign during school holidays, said a sector representative. 

In an interview with The Jordan Times on Wednesday, Luay Al Ramahi, chairman of the teachers’ committee at the Private Sector Teachers Syndicate, said: “From May 2020 and until today, the syndicate has received over 65,000 complains from teachers at private schools for being compelled to submit their resignation papers prior to school breaks in between semesters.” 

The syndicate works together with the Ministry of Labour in terms of receiving and transferring teachers’ complaints to the concerned entities. However, teachers prefer to send their complaints to the syndicate, as the ministry handles complaints by contacting the school director directly, which usually leads to the dismissal of the complainant, Ramahi said. 

“When a teacher files a complaint against the school, he or she is usually granted their rights immediately, but in most cases, the school director tries to fire the teacher,” he said. 

According to a statement by the syndicate shared with The Jordan Times, large numbers of teachers at private schools are pressured by school managements to leave their jobs, particularly before the winter holidays between each semester, and the summer holidays between each academic year. This is a practice adopted by schools so that teachers will not receive their paid time off, which is a contractual obligation.

“These issues are violations, and are regarded as abuses of labour rights,” the statement added.

Calling on teachers to not hesitate to file their complaints, Ramahi said that “what is needed now is intensive supervision over schools”.

Dana Laham, a private school teacher with over four years of experience, told The Jordan Times that when she first started teaching, the first school she applied to, “in every way tried to exploit” her paid vacation time during school breaks.

“During school breaks, I went to work to prepare for the next semester, although there was still time,” she said. According to Laham, several of her colleagues were pressured to leave their jobs during her time as a teacher in three different private schools.

“We hear many stories every now and then about teachers being paid below the minimum wage, forced to resign or even paid less than their actual salary,” Rateb Ajrami, owner of a primary school in Marj Al Hamam area, told The Jordan Times.

Aside from the everyday challenges teachers face in their career, many are forced to resign because a significant number of private school owners believe they are not required to pay their teachers while schools are closed, Ajrami said.