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Page 16 April 2016

Issue 4 | April 2016

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Teachers complain about UAE changes

Matt Salusbury looks at the evidence behind recent
The Gazette has been unable to confirm widespread reports claiming that hundreds of
teachers at two high-profile higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates allegations of chaos over teacher qualifications
have allegedly been requested to ‘attest’ their qualifications – to have the validity of
their educational diplomas verified. Neither the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)
network nor Zayed University – the institutions at the centre of widespread stories the everal delegates at Tesol know by November if they want countries. According to our
Gazette has heard from teachers – have yet responded to our attempts to contact them. Arabia confirmed to the to renew their contract for the sources at the Tesol Arabia fair,
In some cases, staff have allegedly been asked to verify their qualification going back SGazette that HCT had following academic year. While distance-learning courses that
all the way to high school. Staff, including EFL practitioners, who fail to get all their requested to them that they teaching contracts for expatri- have a summer school or some
certificates verified reportedly won’t have their contracts for the next academic year ‘attest’ their qualifications, ates tend to be short term, we kind of compulsory face-to-face
renewed. Distance-learning EFL/Tesol qualifications in particular remain problematic although none of them would understand that they have until attendance built in are accept-
for employment throughout the Gulf States.
go on the record. HCT is one of now not been regarded as short- able, in the UAE at least. These
the UAE’s largest institutes of term employment prospects. can be validated for employment
higher education, with seventeen The Gazette spoke to one HCT in teaching posts in the UAE, but
Marian Sherwood reports from the Gulf on rising campuses nationwide. teacher who had been on a series only if the graduate can produce
In at least one case, a teacher of short-term contracts there for ‘exit and entry stamps’ both from
concerns about new contracts for EL teachers at HCT told the Gazette they had well over a decade, and had set- the country where they attended
been asked to get their certifi- tled in the UAE and started a their distance-learning sum-
cates ‘notarised’ – certified by a family there. mer school, and for the country
ell over three hun- worked for HCT for years, together, others are so disen- notary. According to our sources, The practice of EFL teach- where the course was based.
dred teaching staff at having passed their probation, chanted that they have decided staff have been told to attest all ing staff being asked to attest This presupposes that, for
Wthe Higher Colleges and securing good teaching to leave. HCT plans to recruit their qualifications – some say their educational backgrounds example, UK Visas and Immi-
of Technology (HCT) network and student evaluations. They to fill the vacant posts, and were right back to their ‘transcripts’ has ‘definitely spread to Zayed gration stamps the passports
in the United Arab Emirates provided validated degree present at the Tesol Arabia jobs at secondary school, with US University’, the government- of its own nationals on arrival
received letters in January certificates on appointment fair in Dubai in March. terminology being applied even sponsored higher education and on leaving the UK, which
informing them their contracts but now must provide proof Some members of staff at to teachers whose education institution with campuses in it doesn’t. This condition also
either would not be renewed of graduation from secondary HCT are being asked to provide was within a school system that Khalifa City and Al Ruwayyah assumes that a teacher will
or would only be renewed if school as well as university abstracts of their MA disser- doesn’t have Sats or transcripts. near the Dubai International always go abroad to do a dis-
demands to verify all expe- transcripts. There have also tations. (The Gazette knows One source described ‘stories of Academic City. The Gazette has tance-learning course, rather
rience and qualifications, been demands for dissertation of at least one expatriate EFL people weeping in the corridors’ heard reports of this practice than doing a part-time masters
including high-school diplo- abstracts and for sight of old lecturers in Emirati HE with knowing that they couldn’t verify from three different sources. by distance learning in their own
mas, were met by the end of passports to prove residence in an MA from 1983, with their their qualifications by the deadline In late 2013 Zayed Uni- country, for which they would
April. But even this would be particular countries. research typed by themselves given to them, either the end of versity’s president Dr Maitha have no entry and exit stamps.
on a new contract, the terms of It’s a particular problem on a manual typewriter, and no March or the end of April. Those Al Shansi announced that a The head of a Tesol department
which are unknown. for older professionals. Some digital version in existence.) who went back to their managers ‘major restructuring’ of Zayed in a UK university contacted
Each document must be veri- education systems do not pro- One American who thought they at HCT to say they couldn’t attest was planned, according to Gulf the Gazette to say some of its
fied by a ‘higher authority’. The vide transcripts as standard, had finished the verification pro- their qualifications in time were News, although no detail was alumni had recently got in touch
process is not only time-consum- while schools and universities cess – everything stamped and reportedly told to do so by the forthcoming on what form this for advice on validating their
ing but also very costly – as well have closed, merged or been complete – was then asked for deadline or they wouldn’t get their was to take. MA Tesol by distance learning
as fees for certifying degrees renamed. Higher degrees by certified proof of their Sat scores contracts renewed. Verification of distance- for a higher education institution
there are courier charges. Some distance learning may not be because they left high school The Gazette understands that learning qualifications remains in the UAE.
teachers have paid out over recognised, and anyone who less than twenty years ago. n the recruitment round for the a problem for English teachers As we went to press, our email
£1,000 but still don’t know if did not take a standard route next academic year starting in in the Gulf States in general. enquiries to the HCT and Zayed
they can complete the documen- into higher education is at risk. Marian Sherwood is a September was already under Online courses have long been University had either bounced or
tation before the deadline. While some teachers are pseudonym for an EFL way in March, and that teaching ‘a no-no in the Gulf’ and will received no response other than
Many of those affected have struggling to put the paperwork teacher working in the Gulf staff need to let their managers remain so, as in many other automated replies. n