When friends found out that I was going to do teacher training in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, they looked askance and said, “But you have not even finished doing the teachers in the Philippines.”

It is not well known that Riyadh has at least 13 international schools dedicated to a constantly growing large student population of Filipinos, dependents of professionals who work there. The schools run kindergarten to high school programs, have Filipino administrators and faculty, and are under the jurisdiction of the Philippines’ Department of Education. Were it not for the Saudi Arabian mandate that Arabs should own the schools, they would seem like Philippine schools transported overseas.

The Future Generation Philippine International School, probably the newest kid on the block which started its second school year in June 2008, is owned by Madam Bareah Bint Sabah Al Sabbah, a Kuwaiti princess now married to a prominent Saudi Arabian business magnate. Owning a school has become the recent “hobby” of the rich and the royal in the kingdom.

Upon the invitation of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, which is headed by Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor, and the ENJAZ Banking Services, three of us from the SAGER Learning Institute Inc.—Raquel David Ching, Enrique P. Estalilla, and myself—ran last June 25-27 a workshop on “Teaching for Success” at the King Faisal School in the Diplomatic Quarter of the city.

This was part of the Philippine Embassy’s month-long celebration of the 110th Philippine Independence Day in Riyadh. The first activity of its kind, this was the brainchild of the ambassador’s wife, Rose B. Villamor, a colleague of ours from International School Manila. Because of her background as a Columbia University graduate in English, speech and drama, a teacher and a trainer at the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Rose was attuned to the needs of the Filipino teachers in Riyadh. She felt the teachers would benefit from a professional development workshop. Rose is also remembered for establishing the first Philippine international school in Jeddah when Tony was consul there in the ’80s. It was she and the embassy’s cultural officer, Rose Malicse, who made this all happen on a zero budget of the embassy.

One hundred nine teachers from 13 schools representing a cross-section of grade and year levels attended the all-expenses paid workshop, courtesy of ENJAZ, the sponsor.

It was apparent that the teachers exuded a palpable sense of self-confidence, obviously a benefit of the exposure to worlds larger than what the Philippine setting had offered them. Despite the recurring refrain of having to pay back their agency placement fees, the gnawing homesickness, and the wish to be united with their families, the teachers felt fortunate to be doing what they know best—and to be properly compensated for it.

Mindful of their blessings, the teachers were concerned with the state of Philippine education, especially since they now have actual points of comparison. Life is not easy especially for women in the veiled kingdom, where one cannot venture unescorted even with the mandatory “abaya” (a large, black cloak, worn either loose and flowing or wrapped around the body) and veil. Still, their jobs in Riyadh allow them to save and send money home. Admittedly, their salaries are not that high, but still substantially more than what they could ever dream of back home. And who is to argue with that?

Zenaida Monellon of the International Philippine School in Riyadh (IPSR), the first such school to be started in Riyadh 20 years ago, says: “If only the government would give the best salary to the teachers, no teacher will be working abroad.”

But teachers are teachers everywhere, whether in Riyadh or in Masbate or in Metro Manila. They worry about the large class size in Philippine classrooms and have experienced the vast difference in the classroom climate. Here, they have 20 to 25 students with their own textbooks and even individual handy white boards.

Flordeliza J. Peñalon, also of IPSR reminds her students: “Even if you live in luxury here in Riyadh, this is not our homeland. We can’t stay here forever. We should not forget we are Filipinos. When we come back, let’s help our country.”

At workshop’s end, even as the teachers were enthusiastic and asking Ambassador Tony and Rose Villamor for a continuing professional development series, the three facilitators gained as much as well. It was a rare opportunity to meet and talk with such a large number of Filipino teachers in a foreign country. With the advantage of time and distance, the teachers had candid thoughts on how to make Philippine education more globally competitive.

If the Filipino teachers feel blessed, so should the students in their care. And while I am happy for the teachers, it saddens me that we have “lost” them to foreign shores.

One wonders: Which really is the hardship post, Saudi Arabia or the Philippines?

Neni Sta. Romana Cruz is a member of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People, a trustee of the Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation and a member of the Foundation for Worldwide People Power. Email comments to nenisrc@gmail.com.