Despite the efforts put in by teacher Amal Abdullah, who teaches English at a private school in Taiz governorate (southwestern Yemen), with 20 lessons per week, which can reach up to 80 lessons per month, she has not received appropriate financial compensation for the attention and care she provides to her students, following up on their activities, and ensuring continuous development. This is happening amid the widespread confirmation by many female workers in the private sector that they are being exploited, with their rights not granted according to the labor law, in addition to the inequality in private schools, where the monthly wages of female teachers are deliberately kept lower than those of male teachers.
Amal tells Khuyut: "Salaries vary from one school to another in Taiz city. The monthly salary starts at 30,000 riyals (the new printed currency circulating in internationally recognized government areas) in the first year, and it increases by 5,000 riyals annually. However, this amount is insufficient to cover transportation, appearance allowances, or bonuses, which the school administration refuses to pay to both male and female teachers."
In private schools, both male and female teachers face the erosion of their rights and exploitation of their situation, especially since the war has reduced job opportunities for public sector employees in education. A large number of newly graduated teachers are now without public sector jobs, which has diminished the teacher's stature and presence among students and in society, making them appear as if they are mere workers in a private institution.
Amal continues: "Female teachers are oppressed in private schools, if I may say so. When we demand a salary increase, especially with the difficult living conditions, the deteriorating economy, and the collapse of the local currency, the administration justifies that the situation affects everyone and that they are unable to raise salaries. They often consider reducing the number of teachers. It’s almost as if it’s exploitation or extortion—‘Work with what you have, or we can do without you.’"
She adds: "Imagine -30,000 riyals (about 15 dollars, using the Aden exchange rate) for 80 lessons per month. If I miss a single day due to illness, the administration deducts 1,000 riyals, without considering any personal circumstances or emergencies. We, the female teachers, face inequality in terms of salaries, especially since male teachers receive higher wages than female teachers."
Like many other teachers in Taiz, Amal has found no one to advocate for the efforts she and others are making to educate students with limited resources and train a new generation emerging from the hardships of war and harsh living conditions. They are forced to work to meet the demands of daily life, no matter the challenges. Some even turn to working in institutes, while others take on jobs outside of teaching.
Discrimination and Exploitation
Teacher Um Akram believes that the discrimination occurring in private schools in Taiz is a result of exploiting the economic situation and women's need to work and meet the basic needs of their families, particularly for female teachers who have lost their husbands during the years of war and have had to find work to provide for their children.
For the past two years, this woman has been receiving half the amount paid to male teachers in government schools—about 50,000 riyals. She struggles to meet the household needs, stating that this amount is insufficient to cover family expenses for more than half a month, and she faces difficulty in gathering enough money for the second half of the month.
According to Um Akram’s account to “Khuyut,” private schools do not pay teachers their salaries during the summer vacation; they only pay during the school term. This confirms the exploitation of private school owners, in the absence of monitoring by the relevant authorities and without a system from the union to regulate the teaching profession in the private sector.
Activists state that some of those in charge of private schools discriminate against female teachers by offering higher salaries to male teachers, justifying this by claiming that men exert more effort or come from distant areas, despite the lack of any clear criteria or mechanism to determine salaries in the private education sector.
Human rights advocates believe this treatment marginalizes the role of female teachers, who are the first educators in society, and violates institutional work principles. These principles rely on clear contracts that guarantee teachers' rights and obligate them to fulfill their duties in maintaining the institution’s activity and ensuring the quality of work, which depends on the quality of its staff.
They also highlight the necessity of a well-organized educational system in private schools, to be adopted by the Yemeni Teachers’ Union. This should include standardizing salaries across the private education sector, ensuring equal rights for all teachers, regardless of gender, and addressing the random practices, reducing disparities, and improving coordination between private and public institutions, along with other unions, to strengthen the educational sector and achieve the goal of building a conscious generation.
Low Salaries
In private schools, both male and female teachers face the erosion of their rights and exploitation of their situation. The war has reduced job opportunities for public sector teachers, with many newly graduated teachers unable to find public sector positions. This has diminished the teacher's stature and presence among students and in society, making them appear as mere workers in a private institution, performing their duties for a salary that does not meet their needs, as reported by many.
The conditions of war and siege in Taiz, along with the rising cost of living and the deteriorating economic situation, have left teachers in desperate need of employment. This explains why many in this group accept teaching jobs for low wages. However, their acceptance is forced, not based on satisfaction or contentment. This issue calls for the establishment of laws to regulate the relationship between teachers and schools.
Teacher Afaf Al-Mujahid, a mathematics teacher at a private school in Taiz, tells “Khuyut”: "I receive a monthly salary of 45,000 riyals. This amount is very low compared to what I do, and we have no choice but to keep quiet and avoid complaining to the administration, as we fear arbitrary dismissal. Private schools get rid of any teacher who starts demanding their basic rights or asks for a sick leave of two or three days."
She points out that student tuition fees in private schools increase year after year. Registration costs in elementary school can reach 200,000 riyals with the new printed currency, and the fees multiply for middle and high school levels. However, the schools do not take into account the teacher’s situation, who faces many challenges while teaching. She emphasizes that these schools focus on attracting students, earning money, and achieving profits, without concern for the teaching staff.
This is the complaint of male and female teachers in private schools in Taiz, who suffer from low salaries and the denial of even the most basic rights. According to human rights advocates, work contracts are drafted randomly, based on the needs of the institution or private school, which turns the teacher into a victim. Signing such contracts does not guarantee rights or duties, nor does it protect the teacher from sudden dismissal or being let go without prior notice.
Due to the war, siege on Taiz, rising living costs, and the deteriorating economic situation, teachers find themselves in desperate need of jobs, which explains why they accept teaching professions for low wages, though acceptance does not imply satisfaction or contentment. This issue calls for laws to regulate the teacher-school relationship and activate labor and insurance laws to protect teachers from abuse and violation.
Regarding the manipulation of female teachers' salaries and the reduction of wages compared to male teachers, sociologists argue that there is a need to standardize the pay of male and female teachers across schools, moving away from traditional views on women. They suggest that these discriminatory behaviors will disappear as societal awareness increases and as the importance of equality in the workplace, between men and women, becomes better understood.
