Madinah newspaper

I RECEIVED a letter from a female teacher, following the transfer of teachers, which took place few days back and only 25 percent of lucky teachers managed to get transferred to their desired locations from far away villages.

The teacher said in her letter that she will not object to the result of this transfer move, of which she was not included, and that she will not question the credibility of this move, but she wants the minister of education to hear her story of pain and suffering that she and many other teaches like her are facing for many years.

In her letter she said, “I have been teaching in a school located in village that is 300 kilometers away from my residence for two years now. I start going to school two or three hours before Fajr time and I return very late after Asr prayer. Everyday in the morning I kiss my children goodbye before taking this painful journey. I am exposed to traffic accidents that could happen any time because of a stray camel or because of bad roads or because of a reckless driver. In this painful suffering, I pay more than one third of my salary on transportation in addition to my daily expenses.”

She added, “This daily journey is affecting my health and I find myself neglectful toward my children and family. After all this, I find the minister of education and some education officials look away from all our suffering and complain that our annual vacation is long. I wish if the minister and some of his officials would try our suffering for one week only to live our daily suffering. Only then they will realize the level of sacrifice we endure every day. Are they going to try traveling like us?”

The letter above is one of many examples of sacrifice teachers are doing to carry out their duties as teachers. These teachers deserve support from all segments of society, starting with their own ministry. This ministry should provide them with support instead of provoking them with a statement from time to time.