AMMAN — The death of a 34-year-old pregnant teacher, who
slipped into a coma shortly after feeling sick at work, sparked debate on poor
working conditions in
private schools in Jordan.
اضافة اعلان
The death of Ruba went viral on social media
on Saturday, when her husband appeared in a video shared by the “stand for
teachers” campaign to explain what happened with his late wife, who also lost
her newborn.
Ruba’s husband said that his wife, who was
eight months into her pregnancy, felt tired while working. He accused her
employer, Majma Al-Bahrain Academy, of failing to provide her with immediate
medical assistance.
But the school’s director Murad Bani Melhem
dismissed the allegation, saying that the school’s administration accepted the
teacher’s request to leave the school’s premises when she reported that she was
“feeling tired” on March 14.
“She was asked if she wanted to be taken to
a hospital, but she refused and said that she was fine and would wait for her
husband to pick her up,” Bani Melhem said. in a press statement “Her condition
was stable and she did not fall unconscious in school, as it was claimed.”
He said Ruba’s colleagues who were in touch
with her that day said that she went to the hospital, where she was discharged
after being advised to see a
gynecologist, which she did the following day.
“After three days, we heard that her condition
got worse and that she slipped into a coma,” he said, pointing out that she
died on March 25.
He claimed that her death was the result of
pregnancy complications, having suffered a stroke two years earlier and that
she had been warned to avoid getting pregnant.
Her husband said in the video that Ruba
“slipped into a coma and was declared dead four days” after she was admitted to
hospital. He said doctors were able to save the fetus, but that the newborn
died two days later.
Haitham Al-Najdawi, director of the Central
Inspection Department at the Ministry of Labor, told Jordan News that the ministry carries out inspections
of private schools at the beginning and end of each scholastic year.
“During the school year, inspections are
carried out on ad-hoc basis, whenever a complaint is received,” he said.
“The smalle the school, the bigger the
chance of it getting inspected by the ministry of labor,” Najdawi said. He said
there had been little complaints against bigger schools.
When asked about Ruba’s incident, Najdawi
told Jordan
News that
there is no record of her complaining to the Ministry of Labor. He said
information dug by the ministry revealed that she worked for that particular
school for one year, not five years as her husband claimed.
He said that Ruba was also registered at the
Social Security Cooperation with a JD260 minimum wage, as set by the law.
Sara, who insisted to be identified by her
first name, is also a teacher in one of the private schools in Amman. She
reflected on her five years teaching in private schools.
“Work environment for teachers in private
schools is the worst,” she said. “In smaller schools, teachers are doing more
than what is required of them and the tasks never end.”
“You always have extra tasks to do after working
hours, and I can guarantee that it’s not paying off in most schools, we receive
a minimum wage, no health insurance and the contract ends at the end of the
semester so that you won’t get paid for the summer,” she said.
The head of the private school owners’ union
Munther Al-Sorani told Jordan
News that
the
Ministry of Education is responsible for educational and technical matters
only. If a complaint is lodged, the ministry refers it to the Ministry of
Labor.
“It’s the teachers’ responsibility not to
accept giving up any of their rights, and the ones who accept are responsible
for this issue,” Sorani said.
“The complaints at the
ministry of labor are dealt with
privately and confidentially,” he said. “Therefore, we encourage any teacher
who faces any issue to file a complaint rather than stay silent.”
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