Qatar Chamber’s (QC) Education Committee held a meeting at the QC headquarters recently to discuss the main obstacles faced by private schools in the country, in addition to the issues related to the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA).
The meeting was presided over by QC’s First Vice Chairman and Head of QC’s Education Committee Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari in the presence of MADLSA’s Director of Inspection Fahd Zaher Al Dosari.
Addressing the meeting, Al Kuwari commended the positive cooperation and coordination of MADLSA regarding labour issues in private schools.
Al Dosari stressed the Ministry’s interest to facilitate procedures and solve all obstacles facing private schools, affirming its preparedness to cooperate and assist QC’s Education Committee in fulfilling its mission in serving private education in the country.
The committee members reviewed the obstacles faced by private schools here, including the recently issued circular of the Ministry of Education which limits the age of teachers being hired. The circular noted that teachers being hired must be no more than 50 years old and the school manager must not be aged over 55 years old.
The officials said the Ministry issued the circular and requested it to be implemented immediately, noting that this confused schools which have already contracted with teachers aged above 50 years old.
They pointed out that schools only appoint new teachers only upon a contest of the Ministry of Education which determines the number and nationality of teachers. They said that this should be handled by the Minister of Labour instead of the Ministry of Education.
The meeting also discussed work permits, the relation between employees and school owners, mechanism of approving employment contracts according to the Ministry’s model as well as the Ministry’s approval of the annex of each institution in line with the Country’s laws, length of procedures of work permit procedures for employees who are on the sponsorship of their parents and mechanisms of complaining.
It also reviewed the possibility of re-evaluating procedures of the Dispute Settlement Committee for the benefit of all parties and procedures to deal with employee who is out of work outside the country.
Members proposed that issuing visas to teachers should be by name, not only by nationality and number.
Al Dosari assured that he would transfer all notes and comments of Education Committee to all directorates of MADLSA for solutions, assuring that the Ministry is keen on streamlining all issues related to private schools.
