No expatriate hired by Ministry of Education 'in past two years'

TDT | Manama

No expatriates have been hired by the Ministry of Education in the past two years, it is learnt.

As part of the Bahrainisation drive, the Ministry of Education has completely stopped the recruitment of expatriates during the past two years, a ministry official revealed. 

According to ministry sources, the ministry stopped the recruitment of expatriates to increase the recruitment of Bahrainis. 

"The ministry has terminated the contracts of 370 expatriates in recent years while 900 Bahrainis have been employed in the same period," a ministry official, who doesn't want to be named, said.

"No expatriates have been hired to the ministry in the past two years. We are confident about Bahraini talent being able to fill in teachers requirement and other vacancies."

Meanwhile, it emerged that around 300 expatriate employees in Bahraini ministries and government bodies will be terminated in order to be replaced by Bahrainis, according to officials.

A Civil Service Bureau official said that the transition will be made soon as Bahrainisation drive intensifies.

The official confirmed that 300 foreign employees from various government entities will not have their contract renewed and will be free to leave while Bahrainis will be chosen to take their posts. 

According to recent statistics, foreign employees in the education sector has been reduced from 7,582 to 7,206.

A parliamentarian recently called for a ban on hiring foreigners in the public sector for one year.

MP Adel Al Asoomi made a proposal for a renewable one year ban on hiring expatriates to government jobs.

He said that the proposal is aimed at empowering Bahrainis by providing them more job opportunities.

He pointed out that there is a need to increase the number of Bahrainis employed in the public sector.

More than a year ago, a document circulated online sparked controversy after it showed that the Ministry of Education was recruiting 40 teachers from Egypt.

The online document would raise concern over the Education Ministry's strategies to recruit unemployed Bahraini teachers, which had crossed 500 then, according to reports.

The controversial document was apparently issued by the Secondment Directorate in the Egyptian Education Ministry. It showed the names of 91 Egyptian teachers who had their applications to work in Sudan, Oman and Bahrain approved.

This included 38 teachers to work in the Kingdom in the fields of teaching Arabic language, mathematics and English language.

Egyptian news sites confirmed the transfer of the teachers from Kafr El Sheikh Governorate in the northern parts of Egypt to Bahrain.

Ahram Gate website quoted Education Ministry Undersecretary in Kafr El Sheikh Dr Buthaina Kushk saying that "the approved applicants met the necessary criteria, in terms of age, qualification and assessment".

The matter stirred a debate on local social media networks, as Education Ministry repeatedly announced in the past few years that it strives to Bahrainise jobs in public educational institutions and reduce the numbers of unemployed Bahraini teachers.