WHERE TO GO: Thousands of students hang around the school building in the scorching sun after teachers at the International Indian School, Riyadh, boycotted classes on Monday. (AN photo)

RIYADH: Some 500 teachers and administrative staff members of the International Indian School, Riyadh (IISR), boycotted classes and staged sit-in demonstrations yesterday to press their demands for a salary hike, while cleaners and office assistants were charged with watching over the students inside the classrooms.

“The protest will go on until the teachers’ demands are met,” said a teacher who did not want to be identified.

Arab News called A. Imthias, chairman of the IISR managing committee, several times in the afternoon, but his mobile was switched off. School officials have promised some announcement by today.

IISR staffers are demanding a minimum 30 percent raise in their monthly wages, but the IISR panel has not accepted the demand so far. The teachers have also made it clear they would not administer term exams unless their demands were met.

The last time a raise was given was in 1998 when everyone received an extra SR50 per month.

“Hence, we are demanding a hike in wages across the board,” said another teacher. “How come a majority of Asian schools, even those with poor enrollment of over 500 students, have been paying about 30 to 90 percent higher salaries to their teachers.”

Most of the IISR staff are in the salary bracket of SR1,500 to SR3,500, while the school has millions of riyals idly parked in local banks. Teachers at Indian schools in Jeddah and Dammam are better paid than the Riyadh teachers. Many parents, who expressed their concern over the unrest, urged the IISR management to take prompt action to avoid any further loss of teaching time.

The school serves about 10,000 boys and girls at different levels.