I’ve always felt bad for anyone that has the misfortune of being the Minister of Education (MoE). Not only must he carry the burden of ensuring that kids receive a proper education, which is a huge responsibility, but he must also attend the very boring and redundant graduation ceremonies of numerous post-secondary institutions (I can count 13 off the top of my head). Frankly, I think that it is improper for a gentlemen of that standing to have to waste his evening with something like this after putting up long hours at work, all while having to put on a stiff smile while handing degrees to kids in funny hats and loud make-up.
If you think that’s bad, imagine how awful it must be for Dr. Majid al-Nuaimi to sort out the post-secondary education mess. Since Bahrain decided to allow the creation of private universities not too long ago, they have mushroomed all across the country. Some in Manama, and some in Saar. Some built actual campuses, while some are on top of Jasmi’s! The situation was bound for disaster, since they all set-up shop without proper regulation or scrutiny. The integrity of education in Bahrain was in jeopardy, and the authorities recognized that.
Finally today, the Quality Assurance Authority for Education and Training (QAAET) released an evaluation Bahrain’s education system that showed that most post-secondary institutions performed poorly. The review used a four level evaluation, in the descending order of “outstanding”, “good”, “satisfactory”, and “poor”. None of the institutions received the highest score, while only three rated as “good”. The Higher-Education Council, headed by MoE Dr. al-Nuaimi decided to issue a series of warnings to these institutions and suspend several programs that do not satisfy its requirements. I applaud Dr. al-Nuaimi for that, but that is not adequate.
Education is not a business, and these universities behave like for-profit money grabbers. The MoE must recognize that first. Second, suspending a few programs within substandard universities won’t encourage others to outperform them. Maybe if they shut down one or two sloppy unis, those running the show will realize the importance of what is at stake. The education of Bahrain’s youth will ensure our future growth and prosperity. Let us not fill this country with inferior and second-rate degree holders, ladies & gentlemen!
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=254365
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
It's the economy, stupid!
I’ve been on hiatus for the last few days. As a newcomer to this thing called blogging, I feel that I must choose my battles wisely instead of commenting on trivial matters if I am to gain an audience. Simply put, I’ve been looking for something to get my juices going. Something that really pisses me off, depriving me of my inner peace and my naïve belief in the innate wisdom of the Bahraini people. One mustn’t look too hard for this thorny nuisance, as it makes itself visible frequently on the last page of “al-Waqt” newspaper. Yup! You’ve guessed it! I am speaking about none other than the innocent looking Ms. Lamees Daif!
Now you might ask yourself, how this cupcake of a journalist can get under your skin, Mr. Nationalist? Well its simple. Because she doesn’t know what she is taking about!! See, every few weeks, when something malfunctions around the house, a clever little Indian handyman named Francis comes around. Whether it be faulty pipes or a crack in the wall, this man gets shit done. Unfortunately, journalists in Bahrain are not as versatile as Francis, but they think they are. Just because you maintain a column in a newspaper doesn’t qualify you as an expert on all matters of life, whether economic, political or whatever, Ms. Daif.
http://www.alwaqt.com/blog_art.php?baid=11028
Before I get way ahead of myself, above is a link of the article. The essence of what Ms. Daif is trying to say is that the current global financial crisis is a load of rubbish, and private corporations and banks are simply using it as a scapegoat to fire Bahrainis, who are costly to employ, and hire cheaper foreign employees. As if that is not enough to show the reader the extent of Ms. Daif’s simple mindedness, she continues to blame the government for not stopping these PRIVATE enterprises from firing their employees.
Ms. Daif was quite right to point out that Bahrain has done pretty well considering the extent of damage this crisis has caused globally. That is all fair and good in my book! But Ms. Daif seems to refuse to accept that some blowback (in the form of job losses) is inevitable. She claims that the 237 jobs lost (237 is the number of registered complaints with the Bahraini Workers Union, according to her) are due to discriminatory hiring practices carried out by the private sector to sack Bahrainis and hire foreigners. Unless you have been living in a cave, Ms. Daif, or are completely ignorant, you must have heard about the devastating effects of the financial meltdown on other countries. The number of unemployed Americans increased from 13,724,000 to 14,511,000 this past month! If you are not quite convinced yet, let me use a regional example. Dubai, with its fancy towers rocketing up into the sky, has been rocked harder than anyone could’ve expected. People are losing their jobs left and right, and property prices are estimated to have decreased in value by %75. And you still refuse to accept that 237 can lose their jobs in Bahrain, Ms. Daif? We live in the again of globalization, you should be happy the numbers are that low.
Secondly, and I’ll keep it short this time as I feel like I’ve been too harsh on you, what do you expect the government to do? You drag them through the mud, and fail to offer a solution or a way out of this problem. Oh wait a minute, not only are you unqualified to touch on economic matters, but you are also a pathetically useless commentator on political matters as well! The private sector, as the name implies, is PRIVATLEY OWNED. Since we live in a capitalist society, the government cannot tell a company not to fire an employee unless it has a direct stake in it. Only in communist economies can the government interfere with the private enterprise. Luckily for you, Ms. Daif, we don’t live in a communist society. Otherwise, your silly little article wouldn’t be published because you won’t have freedom of speech!
Now you might ask yourself, how this cupcake of a journalist can get under your skin, Mr. Nationalist? Well its simple. Because she doesn’t know what she is taking about!! See, every few weeks, when something malfunctions around the house, a clever little Indian handyman named Francis comes around. Whether it be faulty pipes or a crack in the wall, this man gets shit done. Unfortunately, journalists in Bahrain are not as versatile as Francis, but they think they are. Just because you maintain a column in a newspaper doesn’t qualify you as an expert on all matters of life, whether economic, political or whatever, Ms. Daif.
http://www.alwaqt.com/blog_art.php?baid=11028
Before I get way ahead of myself, above is a link of the article. The essence of what Ms. Daif is trying to say is that the current global financial crisis is a load of rubbish, and private corporations and banks are simply using it as a scapegoat to fire Bahrainis, who are costly to employ, and hire cheaper foreign employees. As if that is not enough to show the reader the extent of Ms. Daif’s simple mindedness, she continues to blame the government for not stopping these PRIVATE enterprises from firing their employees.
Ms. Daif was quite right to point out that Bahrain has done pretty well considering the extent of damage this crisis has caused globally. That is all fair and good in my book! But Ms. Daif seems to refuse to accept that some blowback (in the form of job losses) is inevitable. She claims that the 237 jobs lost (237 is the number of registered complaints with the Bahraini Workers Union, according to her) are due to discriminatory hiring practices carried out by the private sector to sack Bahrainis and hire foreigners. Unless you have been living in a cave, Ms. Daif, or are completely ignorant, you must have heard about the devastating effects of the financial meltdown on other countries. The number of unemployed Americans increased from 13,724,000 to 14,511,000 this past month! If you are not quite convinced yet, let me use a regional example. Dubai, with its fancy towers rocketing up into the sky, has been rocked harder than anyone could’ve expected. People are losing their jobs left and right, and property prices are estimated to have decreased in value by %75. And you still refuse to accept that 237 can lose their jobs in Bahrain, Ms. Daif? We live in the again of globalization, you should be happy the numbers are that low.
Secondly, and I’ll keep it short this time as I feel like I’ve been too harsh on you, what do you expect the government to do? You drag them through the mud, and fail to offer a solution or a way out of this problem. Oh wait a minute, not only are you unqualified to touch on economic matters, but you are also a pathetically useless commentator on political matters as well! The private sector, as the name implies, is PRIVATLEY OWNED. Since we live in a capitalist society, the government cannot tell a company not to fire an employee unless it has a direct stake in it. Only in communist economies can the government interfere with the private enterprise. Luckily for you, Ms. Daif, we don’t live in a communist society. Otherwise, your silly little article wouldn’t be published because you won’t have freedom of speech!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
This is why I became a blogger!!
Let me devote my first post to the reasons I have decided to become a blogger. It’s not that I think that I’m smarter than others or that I have anything special to say. Neither am I an idealist that thinks that by keeping a blog, I can save the world and in the end everything will be fine and dandy. NO!
My real motives are simple, actually. I'm sick and tired of people around Bahrain! Just because you have an internet connection doesn't mean you know what’s best for the country. But, oh well!! Americans love to say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Therefore, I, ladies and gents, have decided join the online community of Bahraini wanna-be intellectual, nonsense-spewing, political critics.
Dear reader, if you still don't feel you know me like a brother by now , I'll add a brief list of people and places I like and people and places I hate (I never use hate lightly) so you can get the big picture.
- I like: Hamad bin Isa, Riffa FC, and nice architecture (cuz Bahrain is full of shitty architecture and people with bad taste)
- I hate: Khomeini, people that litter, and smutty hijab-wearers (It’s like the equation -1+1=0, doesn’t the smuttiness cancel out any religious basis for wearing it?)
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