Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Officials in the Education Ministry showcase themselves as the competent party for solving issues related to forged certificates. Meanwhile, information proves that the Ministry is largely involved in the scandal that hit the Bahraini public.

The case of dismissing a principal in a private school, in relation to the discovery of forged qualifications by foreign teachers, raises questions regarding what prevents the Ministry of Education from examining the degrees of the teachers who are brought into the country to teach in both public and private schools.

The Ministry obliges Bahrainis who wish to work in the educational sector to obtain a certificate of degree equivalency before finishing their hiring procedures. It; however, doesn't follow the same procedures with foreigners coming to work in Bahrain.

A letter issued by Director of Private Education Hind Mohammed Al-Dossary shows that the Ministry studied the request of one of the private schools for hiring a Bahraini and stated that his academic qualifications were commensurate with the candidate's position. This procedure is not followed when hiring foreign employees.

Under the title "Approval of the appointment of employees in private educational institutions", Al-Dossary addressed the forensic department in the Interior Ministry and asked it to "take necessary action in accordance with your regulations, and provide the Private Education Department with a response as to whether you have any objection to the completion of the recruitment process."

The Education Ministry follows strict rules when it comes to hiring citizens. After examining their academic qualifications, Bahrainis are referred to a security exam before finishing their hiring procedures. Indeed, these procedures are important to verify that these people are qualified to assume these important posts in the educational system. However, the question is: Why doesn't this applied to the foreigners?

The dismissed principal in one of the private schools says: "The Ministry of Education does not force foreign workers in the educational sector to obtain certificates of equivalency for their degrees or diplomas, contrary to what is happening with the citizens, who are forced to equalize the degrees before entering the educational sector."

"I used to make it mandatory for teachers in schools to present documents confirming that they received academic qualifications, but the majority say that they lost their certificates due to the crises and wars in their home countries or give illogical justifications as to why they did not receive any proof of academic qualification," he added.

He noted that the investigations he carried out in the school revealed that dozens of teachers work under fake qualifications and certificates, which forced him to send an urgent letter to the Director of Private Education at the Ministry of Education to take the matter urgently into consideration on February 10, 2018.

He stressed that he continuously followed up with the Ministry since the letter was sent, adding that the Ministry's indifference regarding the issue and its failure to take any legal action against forgery harms Bahrain's educational status and the right of future generations to proper education.

He concludes by saying that the school's headmaster was aware of the issue of forged qualifications, but when he found about the letter I sent to the Education Ministry, he directly fired me, especially that the majority of teachers are among his close friends and from his family. Thus, the Education Ministry did nothing leaving him face his fate after he informed it about a widespread case of forgery in private schools.

A government newspaper close to PM Khalifa bin Salman published this story. It is most likely that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who appoints the government, is aware about it after it has become the talk of the town. The least of the measure that should have been announced was the establishment of an investigation committee to investigate the incident and its consequences, especially that it harms the educational system in the country. However, this didn't take place and it seems that it will not either.

The Ministry of Education should have been subjected to investigation as an accused party, and not to be treated as an investigation party in the case of forged certificates or breaches made in schools by foreigners who are not sufficiently qualified to work in Bahrain, or those who do not have educational qualifications at all.

This, of course, should not be limited to private school employees, but also should be applied to foreign teachers recruited from different countries to teach in public schools. The Ministry of Education does not follow strict procedures in verifying their academic qualifications, as it does with Bahrainis, since it often relys on the nominations of government employment agencies in their countries.

The lack of rigorous verification systems and the Ministry of Education's reliance on the candidacies of these agencies have made the state lose its right to ascertain the competence of the recruits to work in educational positions and has contributed to leaving a significant negative impact on education in the government sector. A channel can be opened to listen to stories of every parent in Bahrain about how many foreign teachers are not proficient in their academic domain or do not have an educational qualifications to fill their positions.

The announcement of the National Health Regulatory Authority about its rejection of more than 100 requests by foreigners for medical practice in Bahrain raises further questions about the total lack of verification systems for foreign workers in the field of education in the public and private sectors, and calls for dealing with the Ministry of Education as an accused party rather than an investigation body.

Arabic Version