Bahrain education ministry sacks 1,150 foreigners, employs 3,650 locals

The education ministry of Bahrain is continuing with its plan to “Bahrainise” jobs based on the ministry’s needs, as it doesn’t only employ locals on new vacancies cropping up but is sacking expats to create space for locals.

Bahrain’s education minister Dr. Majed Al Nuaimi, said of the period between 2016 and the end of 2020, that more than 1,142 non-Bahraini employees have been sacked, and 3,656 Bahrainis were recruited.

In response to a question by MP Mamdouh Al Saleh regarding expatriate employees in the ministry, Al Nuaimi said the plan was to reach almost complete Bahrainisation in the education sector, by enhancing the capacity of the Bahrain college for teachers, increasing its programs, and the number of students.

“Bahrain has boosted the college’s budget by 94 per cent, with the aim of increasing the training and qualification of national cadres in a way that can increase the number of students admitted to the college,” the minister said.

Bahrain’s education ministry has 3,687 non-Bahraini employees.

Al Nuaimi said the qualifications of non-Bahrainis according to jobs vary as follows: 86 are holding doctoral degrees, 327 post-bachelor’s diplomas, 295 master’s, 845 bachelor’s, and most of them work in the public, technical, and vocational education sectors.

READ: Thousands evacuated in Australia’s worst flooding in almost half a century

The ministry stated that all non-Bahrainis have graduated from accredited universities, certified by the ministries of foreign affairs, hold accredited degrees, and have worked in the government educational institutions for at least five years.

He indicated that the Bahraini cultural attachés abroad were working to ensure the correctness of the data contained in the qualifications of teachers and verify the expertise and requirements for occupying educational positions.