Principal bars teachers from getting pregnant

if this were to be implemented in the private companies, how many females would be working?

I don't understand what is connection between " Getting Pregnant, and Teaching Children "

What a shame on the Principal...

he or she sounds more like a donkey than a principal .the management are bigger donkeys than the principal how do these people run schools like this this is what happens when you appoint fools in management positions and also in teaching positions

Further follow up here

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1393732

Not only to blame the principal, this dicision might have came from the managements. Most of the private school managements are considering teachers like a workhorse. Teachers are not getting any respect. unlucky teachers here in Qatar.

So they voluntarily made themselves unemployed rather than do training!

How strange!

Well they should go to the bottom of the pile for jobs at 'central item'.

And why are they getting basic salary when they chose to give up there jobs and throw the whole education system into turmoil?

Strange system you have here.

They really can't complain when Arabic speaking foreigners take their jobs then.

From what I have gleaned from your posts over the years the Qataris (I know I'm generalizing, forgive me) have a very schizophrenic attitude - they complain about expats having all the jobs yet do very little to help themselves - again it's a generalization but I think the point is valid.

What you say?

:)

that's the question everyone's asking ;)

last year a decision was made to transform all government schools to independent schools, teachers were given a choice between being re-trained under professional development program to meet SEC standards or being laid off temporary in what is known locally as the "central item" where they receive basic salaries until the MOL finds them a job at one of the ministries ( more or less disguised unemployment)

When the school management has recruited so many married female teachers, they should have expected these teachers to have children during their tenure in the school. Otherwise, it should have been explicitly detailed in their contract prior to their appointment. The Principal has NO right to say that these teachers cannot conceive because of the fact that the school has become fully independent and / or she is not entitled to interfere in their private life. On the flip side of the coin, the teachers who intend to get pregnant or avail maternity leave should plan it accordingly so that the Principal can look for other alternate options. However, the statement by the Principal is totally appalling and does not suit her profession.

just noticed:

"for not meeting the SEC standards"

Where are they going to get 770 teachers from?

just out of interest - were these 770 surplus to requirements or were they just not up to the job?

If the latter, what is the SEC doing about finding so many replacements?

Thanks

This occurred in a government Independent school, the circular was passed by the school's principle after the recent chaos in the supreme council of education with the layoff of 770 Qatari teachers for not meeting the SEC standards

I don't think the SEC would approve the principle's decision though, after the heated debated it caused in local media.

the thing is it isn't anyone's business whether you plan to have a child or not. and even if you avoid getting pregnant by means of the pill etc. no birth control is 100% effective. so if you get pregnant is the teacher suppose to choose between getting an abortion or keeping her job?

pregnancy isn't a disease. and in the western world they don't fire women because they have a baby. i know in the states you can even file a law suit if your employer fires you because you get pregnant.

and i work in a school. with teachers have gotten pregnant and it doesn't effect them at all. the head was even pregnant and did her job effectively.

maternity leave in Qatar is only 2 months and you can find a sub to fill in at that time.

its punishing women for choosing motherhood.

it seems this is the first school in the whole world where the students are getting affected because of pregnancy of their teachers..

haven't we all studied in schools where many of our teachers were females??

i am pretty sure, this weird rule was not imposed on our teachers...but if it was, probably, i would have been a much smarter guy !!

oh dear!

Funny Principal. lols. let’s check how many kids she has ? :P

Or she must be too old and feeling jealous on young teachers :D

if you don't let the other side be defended, how truth will come out. I don't mind losing one or two debates as long as it is fairly contested. If it is a one-sided show, what's to gained?

We ware not a "first party" to the issue. It was a report that we are trying to decipher clearly. If there is even a slight chance that we miss a simple part of the discussion,it will be for all to view it more broadly!

Flor, I don't know how you define choices but I would definitely not call those a choice.

get pregnant and maybe lose your job or keep your job but postpone or don't get pregnant. Simple. And this is one school, unless I miss something, I mean is this implemented in all school?

flor, there is no "get pregnant and if you find it difficult, leave your work"....its "if you get pregnant, you would be fired" type situation here.

I agree on challenge the ruling and get a fair deal.

means "plan your pregnancy. not now, maybe later or next year, etc etc". Who knows what the exact meaning of her words?

Flor, it is truly is amazing how you, every time, shoot inches besides the target. A true talent! lol

any female teacher have the option (on their own) to get pregnant or avoid it, and they know the consequence. It's a matter of choice, get pregnant and continue teaching or get pregnant and if you find it difficult, leave your work. But don't misunderstood me, I said, challenged the ruling and get a fair deal. The school is under government regulatory.

this principal was born out of a testtube.

In a country where there are no supply teachers then yes the academic year could become disrupted by maternity leave.

I have seen this happen.

It his hard to find a short-term replacement only, unlike a resignation.

However I don't think the principal addressed or tackled the topic tactfully or presented a realistic solution.

Flor, what has been reported is of course "forced family planning".

And the principle is not asking the teachers to postpone or plan their pregnancy but....

"The principal convened a meeting of teachers recently and told those who were married not to get pregnant"......

If this was in contract/rule, she wouldn't have needed to say that.

Also, .......

"the principal has refused to let pregnant woman teachers continue in their jobs".......

So what would be justification of sacking the pregnant teachers?

this case is isolated. The Principal made her decision, either the teachers sue her or file an administrative sanction against her. I'll go with translator, whatever the Principal is thinking in imposing the rule, she has her reason/s and until such reason/s are questioned in the proper forum, then it will remain.

It will be a case to case basis again. There are woman who have difficulty in her early weeks while there are those who can be as normal as she can be even in her late pregnancy. But the Principal's idea is for her school's projected accomplishment and asking the teachers to postpone or plan their pregnancy is part of her planning. I suggest affected teachers should challenged this ruling or find another job!

No flor, I am very much for contraception or responsible family planning. What I am against is forced family planning.

Did you get her pregnant? lol

contraception? or responsible family planning?

odd? this is plain stupidity!

And in a country where God's will is tantamount (and presumably pregnancy is God's will), I find this more than a bit odd.

Translator, no I am not. Teachers are humans too with similar emotions, are they not? All your comments seem to portray them as employees only. Where is the human angle?

drmana, you are steering the discussion away from the point I am trying to make. The principal is a business manager, not a social manager. Any teacher who want to become pregnant and have to deprive the school and her class in the middle of the year of her service, good for her. She just need to find a position which fit, or a boss who can manage.

This thread started with the same sensation the article was written by. I find it sad that the journal published this single sided story, and not take the opinion of the principal, very sad and made a great harm to the principal and her reputation, even though anonymous.

Many stories of newspapers here in Qatar cater for those who whine, but cannot find the cheese to go with it.

translator,

how should the school management deal with a class if the class teacher becomes sick for a month or meets with an accident barring her to attend the school for a month.

do you think, such situations cannot be handled in a school?

well, thats what should be ideally done so that the class is not affected. however, in every school there needs to be a provision for covering absenteesm of teachers.

on a lighter note, in that school, let the teachers plan to deliver during the summer holidays only...

Translator, you said " If it was a one teacher for my son or daughter in that school, it effect the performance as far as I am concerned"

So, you are concerned for your children's education and want to deny the right of being a parent to someone educating your children. I don't get the logic.

"ad-hoc teacher" does not exist rishimba, a typical full time teacher in independent school take 20 class periods a week. With such a utilization rate, do you think that they will hire more teachers just in case? no, and the authorities would not allow that either.

Hi Rishi. Long time no talk.

As I understand it, teachers generally finish out the year and then start the new school year at the new school with the higher salary. At least, that's the way it's done back home.

khawaga,

what happens if a class teacher resigns from a school and joins another one at a higher salary. as per the contract, she has to give a month's notice.

these kinds of situations happen everywhere in the schools and probably are more common than teachers getting pregnant.

in such conditions, how does the school management deal with the class which gets affected? if this can be managed by ad-hoc teachers, the maternity leave can also get managed in the same way.

btw which school is that? what if prinicpal gets pregnant... ;b , then sanctions will be lifted up!

I think the point is that a teaching position is a year-long commitment (or nine months depending on the school system). If a woman wants to have children, by all means she should do so. However, what happens to her class if she leaves in the middle of the school year? These things can be planned responsibly, IMO.

i really dont understand how the performance of a lady teacher would reduce in the first seven months of her pregnancy. her movements may get slowed down in the class in the last two or three months but its got nothing to do with the quality of teaching.

its her right to take maternity leave and once the lady gets pregnant, she should plan it out with the school management regarding her reliever during the maternity period. the school should have some ad-hoc teachers for the purpose.

this matter should be taken up in the court if any teacher loses her job because of getting pregnant.

Well then its better for those with this mentality to not hire females at all rather than denying them the right to conceive on one's free will.

Pregnancy is not an issue to be forced upon a women , neither should one be forced to conceive nor denied.

drmana, many organizations would not, even when they hire 100% local workforce. For a country like Qatar, every HR officer knows the implications.

If it was a one teacher for my son or daughter in that school, it effect the performance as far as I am concerned, s_isale.

On that argument, none of the organisations should be hiring potential would-be-pregnant married females.

s_isale: if half the teachers are out on maternity leave, it would negatively affect school performance, yes.

does a school performance become low just because some teachers became pregnant?

drmana wrote: "the human resource law applicable to Independent Schools does have provisions for maternity leave for woman teachers"

Yes, but would the authorities accept the excuse of the principal for low school performance because many of her teachers are or became pregnant during the school year? absolutely NOT.

what is the probability that if you plan to become pregnant in the next 6 months/ 1year that you will become pregnant?

disgusting!!! rights being questioned... God's gifts r children...

Translator, as per the article:

The school was semi-Independent earlier and has recently acquired the status of a full-fledged Independent School for girls.

But the principal has refused to let pregnant woman teachers continue in their jobs, Al Sharq reported yesterday. These women were employed when the school was quasi-Independent, and had to apply for the job afresh when the school became fully Independent.

and

the human resource law applicable to Independent Schools does have provisions for maternity leave for woman teachers.

What about this?

okay, i'm out of this thread

somwerNdmiddle, if a teacher indicate during her employment interview or the beginning of the year that there is a possibility of her becoming pregnant during the school year, and the school agreed to that, then there is no problem. But saying they have no plan to do so, and still become pregnant, then that it what I call "lack of transparency."

People, take it this way, jobs have required commitment upon the employee. If they cannot do that, better find another job. I do not understand why teaching job can be excluded from this normal business conduct.

Translator: ok. I understand your point and I agree with you. Most of the jobs that I have had back home require that you put in a certain amount of time before you are eligible for maternity (or paternity) leave. My current contract, however, does not allow for any maternity leave and if I were to get pregnant, I would have to leave the country immediately. So it's not just teachers. However, I knew that clause was in my contract when I signed it.

SNDM: Just because a woman is married doesn't mean that she will become pregnant. I think he means that plans should be made for when a couple is trying to have a child.

translator, how is there lack of transparency on the part of a married female becoming pregnant?

khwaga, maybe Translator is the principal of that school

Translator, so you mean the female teachers need to mention in contract to the school that they intend to get pregnant?

No Khawaga, I did not say that. What I am saying is that there is a lack of work responsibility of teachers who plan to become pregnant, and make no advanced agreement with the school about that. The principal problem is lack of transparency of teachers, which complicate her business.

For some reason I do not understand, the remarks here take teaching as a simple job, and the principal can replace any teacher anytime, and hence the teacher can decide whatever they want, including leaving work in the middle of the year.

Every occupation have a job requirement, and I do not see why the principal cannot set her requirement in an open manner with her employees.

Translator: are you saying that women are getting pregnant just so they can work shorter hours?

I do not find this issue a matter for a joke like it is presented here. Any head of an organization sets the rules deemed necessary to run the business effectively, and here it is a school business. I would however put in the contract as a condition, as it is not a simple task to replace a teacher in the middle of the year.

What is happening is that the system is very much abused to take advantage of paid maternity leave, shorter work hours and so on ..

Teachers who are complaining can find another school, I support the principal decision.

officially! If not, nothing will happen positive. The principal will have her way!

I mean is it a real thing and why the management is silent on this issue.Pathetic mentality.

I mean is it a real thing and why the management is silent on this issue.Pathetic mentality.

exactly my thought isale, she must be an old maid ;D

No waaaaaaaaaaay! OMGod...someone fire this woman! Subhhanallah...that's just disgusting!Urrrgh..We had so many pregnant teachers as kids and they were as efficent as any other teacher. Does this woman have kids? she seems to be the kind of person who my gyno aptly described as those who view pregnancy as a kind of disease!

she must be one jealous female

SNM, that would be the weirdest decision ever if any school authorities would come up with such foolish diktats sooner or later...

I got one word for this: WTF!!

drmana, it would be much worse if they ask women teachers to divorce their husbands so as not to affect their teaching jobs/capabilities.

Lol SNM, but what a strange world this is. Denying women the right to be Mother at their wish...next they would stop hiring women for any job due to the same reason.

lol drmana! i am getting rusty on the trigger :D

lol drmana, yeah you did.. we'll say bye bye to one of the two soon.. ;)

Yup, i checked that...:))

Soniya, I beat SNM by 16 minutes, lol.

none

Disgusting!! hope i could shoot these kind of people...

BTW, SNM has posted the same topic...

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1388897

what a shame..