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[Jamieson]

A warning from a colleague of mine in ALmaty, Kazakhstan...


Defrauded!

Hi, this is my first blog about KIMEP. To all those who have been offered a faculty position and a contract at KIMEP, there are many things to consider. In this blog, I will discuss one of these -- the significance of the contract itself.

There is now sufficient precedent to conclude that the contract is both not enforceable in the Kazakhstan courts (lawyers would not accept the case) and, most importantly, that the administration only uses provisions in the contract when it suits them to do so.

This means that guarantees such as a four-months notice for dismissal without cause or a one-month notice for dismissal with specific causes are meaningless unless the president, Dr. Bang, and the vice president for academic affairs, Habib Rahman, are of a mind to apply them. There have been at least two clear cases during the past year when the administration has chosen not to give the appropriate notice. There have also been numerous cases where it has used these precedents to intimidate others into accepting extra work without pay or other unpleasant additions to the work environment. In other words, you may be asked to do unpaid, non-contracted work under the threat that, if you do not do it, your contract protections will no longer apply. More to the point, you must either do the work or face immediate dismissal, dismissal within a month, or dismissal after four months without a reason. There is no legitimate appeal process. It is possible that an appeal panel will be set up. But its members are subject to the same intimidation.

Since the contract, as a contract, is meaningless; so is the Faculty Code of Practice, which the contract says is the document that determines how faculty conduct will be judged and that describes the responsibilities of the administration. Whether the policies in this document are followed depend on the discretion of the administration.

Nor is there any recourse within the administration. The deans and department heads are all aware of these precedents. (If a dean or department head is new, he (she) is likely to be an unwitting part of the conspiracy.) They know that they are expected to lead new faculty to believe that the contract and faculty code of practice are the ruling documents. Yet they know also that the higher administration has no intention of adhering to the words in these documents. If pressed, they will almost universally defer to the Rahman or Bang.

In short, KIMEP's offer of a contract, in the legal sense, is fraudulent. Some faculty get disgusted by the fraud shortly after they arrive. They fulfill their duties and plan to leave ASAP. Others are called upon to do additional work. They grudgingly accept and also plan to leave ASAP. For still others, those who have been at KIMEP the longest, the contract has no meaning. They stay because the conditions, including being subject to whimsical assignments of extra work and sudden unpleasant conditions, are better than the alternatives. Rarely, a newcomer objects and complains about promises that were not kept. He (she) is quickly singled out as a trouble maker and 'fired'� as soon as it is convenient for the higher administration to do so.

In short, if you accept a job offer at KIMEP, you should consider it as in invitation to come and, after you arrive, to deal with the conditions they impose on you. If you have any doubts, ask about the turnover among new faculty. And check with your embassy or consulate about KIMEP's reputation.

Be warned.


Try the blog - http://kimepblog.blogspot.com

[Jamieson]

KIMEP: the Best of a (Very) Bad Bunch?

In describing KIMEP, we should keep in mind that we are writing about English-language higher education in Kazakhstan. In Kazakhstan, KIMEP is the highest regarded of the institutions that provide this. The demand for a KIMEP education keeps rising, as does the tuition.

KIMEP may also be the best such institution in all of the CIS countries, although there are a number of newcomers that may be competitors in the future. Moreover, some of the faculty and a tiny bit of the lower administration at KIMEP subscribe to the kind of education principles we would expect at a good university. Many are Kazakhstani professors and lecturers who long for the day when they will have an opportunity to make meaningful change. It is true that such people seldom are in positions to affect KIMEP policies or administrative actions. But in their dealings with others one-to-one, they are trustworthy and reliable.

The KIMEP administration deals dishonestly with foreigners. It also deals dishonestly with Kazakhstani students. The students have their own nemesis: the double-dealing Dean of Students, Steven Green. (Green, acting as Provost Marshall, is now also a major factor in the dishonesty and fraud toward foreign teachers.)

Nevertheless, the demand for its services KIMEP rising. How can this demand be explained? Why are more Kazakhstanis willing to pay rising tuition when the faculty turnover at KIMEP is so high and when, in general, the students are treated just as badly as the foreign faculty? The answer is that KIMEP HAS DONE BETTER THAN ITS COMPETITORS. The quality of English language education is better than its competitiors and its tuition is still relatively low by international standards. So, for Kazakhstanis, attending KIMEP is an inexpensive way to get a degree while staying near home. Even foreign students may want an inexpensive degree and an adventure. [There are, however, some new kids on the block, so alternatives may be available in the not too distant future.]

This says nothing particularly good about KIMEP. It is mainly a comment on the competition. Corruption, nepotism, tribalism, inefficiency and just plain laziness are common throughout the Kazakhstan and other CIS higher education systems. Unsuspecting foreigners are out of their league here.

Foreigners should be wary of dealing with KIMEP because KIMEP has such a high international profile. They should especially cognizant of the systematic fraud in representing contractual and administrative protection against the whimsical actions of Bang, Rahman, and others who have their confidence. But they should be even more wary of dealing with the other institutions in Kazakhstan. In a land of corruption where there is very little rule of law and no significant contract enforcement for the little and medium-sized people, even the smallest movement away from these conditions can yield high dividends. So, while Bang, Rahman, and the others, including a former Kazakhstan Minister of Education who occupies a position of Vice President for External Affairs, are highly unethical by the standards that are traditionally applied to English-language institutions of higher learning, they are not the worst in Kazakhstan by a long shot.

In my view, the quality of education at KIMEP has been falling rather than rising. However, the change is not great. In some areas, there are some very dedicated Kazakhstani profs and lecturers. And there are always unsuspecting new profs, some of whom turn out to be quite good, although others are quite bad due to a poor screening process which often begins very late in the academic year.

In summary, one should recognize that at the garbage dump, some garbage stinks less than other; and even flowers may grow. So while Bang, Rahman, Green and Bilyalov deserve to be condemned in comparison with the rest of the higher educators in the world, they deserve some credit for their success in the Kazakhstan environment. And one should expect to find at KIMEP some people who are genuinely dedicated, competent, and trustworthy in their actions.

[Jamieson]

A few words of warning: KIMEP currently has two lawsuits against it pending, both from former employees, who allege breach of contract, along with other charges.

If that does not put you off taking a job there, then nothing will!

However, this does provide living proof that the 'Big Bang' theory of education management is flawed, being hampered by its internal contradictions and endemic corruption. And remember - 'the further you run from your sins, the more exhausted you are when they catch up to you'!

Watch this space for more news!

[Jamieson]

Rumour has it that noticeable cracks are beginning to appear in the walls of that fragile edifice that is KIMEP (metaphorically speaking - and earthquakes aside!). If you are still determined to go there, or are currently considering an offer, it could be interesting times - to watch them walls come a-tumblin' down, and observe the rats as they flee the sinking ship!

And shall I mention it again? "The further you run from your sins, the more exhausted you are when they catch up to you". OK, that's enough metaphors for one day. But don't say you ain't been warned!

And don't forget to check out the unofficial KIMEP blog. It's always good for an insight into the workings of Dr Bang's 'Evil Empire'!

http://kimepblog.blogspot.com

[danmbob]

update?