Job Discussion Forums

Jolly Green Giant · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 22

The Walk the Mile in Jubail thread opened with sobering observations about events at Jubail Industrial College. Sadly, many of them were true. Many of the subsequent speculations however, were not. The history of mismanagement, the furor and insecurity evoked by the 2006 staff purge, may have contributed to a poor perception in the ELT world. The onus now is upon the JIC to recover this lost confidence. And it is doing just that.

Today, management at the JIC has started the recovery process. There is a new will and determination to institute changes for the positive.

The English Language Unit at Jubail College has made up lots of old ground. Firstly and most practically, in 2005 the ELC Unit moved and was rehoused in a huge, brand new structure with cool, spacious classrooms and computer equipped faculty offices. Then, last year a new in-house language curriculum was also introduced. It has proven tremendously successful. Also, new CALL labs and Language Labs form part of the new curriculum. Students and the teaching staff alike are much happier. More important changes are in the pipeline.

Critically, there has been a new change of management. Forward looking, progressive thinking has replaced the traditional. This new policy and attitude can be felt at all levels. Today, JIC is a totally different environment and it is getting better with each new day.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

This post has been written in the public interest and is not an example of pandering to management.

Jolly Green Giant · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 22

It is a frank admission and an attempt to answer concerns of a teacher public. I will be happy to supply further details if you wish to PM me.

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

Have you cleaned up all the heads that rolled?

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

So do we have new people in charge now? Will the fired teachers be allowed back?

Jolly Green Giant · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 22

Sheikh Inal Ovar: Have you cleaned up all the heads that rolled?

Paul in Saudi: So do we have new people in charge now? Will the fired teachers be allowed back

Jolly Green Giant The JIC staff �purges� took place the same week that the new JIC management team took office in June 2006. In fairness, they were not so much sackings but simply that contracts did not get renewed. In some cases, teachers were unceremoniously fired.

The news shook the foundations of the ELC dept, but to many of us it came as no surprise. Life under the old regime had deteriorated very badly. I observed that over the last two/three years more staff had left voluntarily than those who were dismissed. The ones who were finally asked to leave were perceived more as part of the problem.

As hard as it seems, the purges have to be understood in context and as part of the overall attempt to raise college standards. What is sad to me though is that management felt they could not include a number of valuable individuals as part of that effort. Those fired were my colleagues and personal friends about whom I have great respect. Frankly, it was rotten period for everybody.

I got news recently that these teachers have moved on to greater and better things. Thankfully, in the end, everyone has turned out to be a winner. They all got new jobs and we got a new department, management team, huge improvements and more on the way.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

How absolutely jolly, my dear Jolly!

Rennenkampf · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 91 Location: Hail

''The ones who were finally asked to leave were perceived more as part of the problem''.
Why?
By Whom?

Rennenkampf · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 91 Location: Hail

''Those fired were my colleagues and personal friends''
We believe you.

Rennenkampf · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 91 Location: Hail

''Frankly it was rotten period for everybody''

Do you teach grammar?

LET US *beep* THIS BLADDER OF LIES WITH THE POIGNARD OF TRUTH

Jolly Green Giant · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 22

Rennenkampf ''The ones who were finally asked to leave were perceived more as part of the problem''. Why? By Whom?

Jolly Green Giant I thought I made it quite clear. Since the new JIC management had assumed responsibility for hiring and firing then it was they who made these assessments about staff members. If you were sincere and wished to know more as to how and why they thought this way, then I would suggest you ask them yourself. But even if you did know, so what? What difference will it make?

The point is that a new chapter in the JIC�s history is now being written and the mistakes of the past are finally dead and buried. This fact in itself is very heartening.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Jolly Green Giant · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 22

Stephen Jones As, according to you, the 'new JIC management' and not the old, was responsible for the purges, how can you claim things are getting better?

Or do you get your knickers in a twist when you depart from the script?

Jolly Green Giant I believe that the decision to fire or not to renew was made ultimately by incoming the management team irrespective of previous policies. But again I fail to understand how it helps anyone to know this now.

History is replete with examples of takeover kings who inflict immediate damage on a state or country they happen to conquer. The same occurred at the JIC. Due to the low state of affairs, I guess that the new management team saw that they had to do hardest thing first; to cause damage in order to get the kind of college and the standards they required. Then, it was to inflict it at once and not a second or third time.

In this way, the worst was felt for one time only and later the minds of the JIC staff were set to rest. The Management's first succees here was to gain the immediate trust and confidence of the remaining JIC employees and they rewarded them for it with further improvements and benefits. Such a strategy is laudable and is a mark of effective leadership.

This however, is small consolation for those individuals made victims of the purge.

And yes, by the way, life at the ELC/JIC has improved tenfold.

Rennenkampf · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 91 Location: Hail

''The management's first success here was to gain the immediate trust and confidence of the remaining JIC employees''
How ? By arbritarily terminating 40 staff on the basis of personal spite one week before the end of the semester?
Can you guarantee that there will not be a repetition of this seasonal purge one week before the end of the semester this year?

Rennenkampf · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 91 Location: Hail

''History is replete with examples of takeover kings who inflict immediate
damage on a state or country they happen to take over''

Your 'takeover king' according to you is the new Managing Director;the current ELC Director was the deputy director when the purges,which he fullt supported were inflicted.Everybody agrees with your allegation that the Managing Director's action was damaging.However,the question is will these vindictive purges against Westerners become a permanent torment at the JIC?

N.B The expression 'takeover king' in correct usage refers to
businessmen who purchase a series of corporations.