Saudi: Status woes of expat teachers to end

October 21, 2014

Jeddah, Oct 21: The Education Ministry in coordination with the Labor Ministry has moved to facilitate the legalizing of the statuses of expatriate teachers working in international schools. It will be done through registration with the “Ajeer Service” of the Labor Ministry.

All international schools were sent a notice to the effect by Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Murshid, director general of education and training, Riyadh region on Dhul Hijjah 22.

The administrators and employees of international schools have welcomed the move as it will legalize their statuses.

The Ajeer Service aims to curb the visa trade and reduce the number of workers who run away from their sponsors as well as protect their rights, those of the establishments and the individual sponsors.

The ministry said in the notice that male and female teachers working in international and public schools should register themselves with the service to avoid breaking the law.

It further said that spouses can work under the same sponsors in the same schools but they need to register with the system so that they have a certificate or authorization to show Labor inspection teams on their routine rounds.

Padma Hariharan, director & head of Novel International Group of Institutions, said that the notice mentioned that a sibling or family member can also sign up for a job in the same school through the Ajeer Service website. “However, those who already have a job at the same school but have not registered with the Ajeer Service will be considered in breach of the Kingdom’s laws,” she observed.

A family member can be verified by submitting his documents to the ministry as mentioned by the MOE. The ministry has ordered schools to have their employees registered with the Ajeer Service. This includes those employees who have already obtained permission to work with the Ministry of Education following interviews.

However, employees without permission certificates will have to attend an interview with the ministry and have their files reviewed.

“Employees need to be verified by the ministry for their jobs. The advantage of the law is that if both spouses are working for the same employer, they will be more comfortable and happier. However, the downside is that if one of them loses his job, then everyone including the children or siblings who are employed in the same establishment will also have to forgo their jobs,” Hariharan noted.

She added that she was happy that the MOE had taken both perspectives into consideration and was focusing on both quality and productivity while at the same time trying to generate maximum employment from every family.

The doctor thanked the ministry officials for working out a law which stood to benefit the expatriates in the Kingdom and prayed that talented, qualified and trained expatriate housewives would take this opportunity to serve the education sector to groom future leaders.

The MOE’s move comes at a time when the Kingdom is actively trying to streamline the employment sector with regards to both citizens and expatriates.

As a large number of international schools depend on expatriate teachers who are dependents for the most part, it was considered important to regularize their status so that they can work legally in the Kingdom.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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