DOHA: Despite a relatively large number of nationals having PhDs, Qatar University (QU) has very few local faculty members.
This is because most academically qualified Qataris are not keen to pursue teaching as a career and prefer government jobs due to easier work and higher monetary compensation.
“Teaching calls for more effort and you need to keep updating your knowledge regularly.
“This is the reason why many nationals, even though qualified, do not prefer this career,” says Professor Abdul Hameed Al Ansari from Law Faculty.
In remarks published in local Arabic daily Al Arab recently, he said university teaching entails a lot of mental and physical effort and coordination with students.
“And teaching as a career is a personal choice. Most of us who teach here like it. For them money is not a main consideration.
“Many of us take personal interest in teaching and think it is a national duty.”
A university should rely more on local teaching staff as long-term dependence on foreigners is not good, so attempts should be made by QU to attract more Qatari teachers.
“Pay and perks for teachers at QU are attractive, better than its peers in the GCC region offer,” said Al Ansari. Retirement of QU teachers should be voluntary.
“There shouldn’t be an upper age limit. As long as a teacher is physically fit and mentally agile, he should be allowed to continue in the job.”
Dr Batool Khalifa, from Education Faculty, said even though there are many fellow nationals with a PhD, not everyone would be able to teach.
“Plus, not many like teaching as a career. Administrative jobs in the government are easier and entail a single shift, so most people prefer them,” she said.
There were a lot of fellow citizens teaching here but over time they have left and taken up other jobs. “Teaching is a tough job,” she added.
About expatriate faculty members, Dr Nawal Al Sheikh said university students are less influenced by their culture compared to school students because they are mature.
She said another reason for not many nationals in QU faculty could be that English is the medium of instruction at all levels.
The Peninsula
