Bird On,
You CAN't be serious - Surely this is a wind-up
For the record, by ANY industry standard, the F/Os at EK are more than qualified. I acknowledge that in an Ex-pat situation such as exists in Dubai, management can and will do anything to save a buck. (I would argue that this policy is at their peril.)
However, just because they CAN do this, does not make it right. Furthermore, pilots taking advantage of this bull-headed policy are for the most part turning their backs on the morality of the situation for what they see as personal gain. Interestingly, of the 10 or so EK DECs I’ve met, all were quite unhappy.
There are airlines that require DECs, but EK isn't one of them. (flite idol is bang on, btw.)