Job Discussion Forums

[kuberkat]

Omani students who graduate from secondary school with good-enough averages are the golden children who are recruited to colleges of the Ministry of Higher Education/Manpower. Their studies are paid for, many receive free hostel accommodation and others receive accommodation subsidies. All receive a monthly stipend from the state for living expenses. Very nice.

The miracles wrought by Sultan Qaboos have been stupendous, and his well-known focus on education has played a vital role in the Omani Renaissance.

But. What I simply cannot understand is why students are assigned to certain courses without consideration of their aptitude and interests. Time and again I have seen tech wizards bored stiff by English Literature, or weak Biology students who excel in their weekly English class. Square pegs in state-funded round holes. These students have obvious strengths in fields they are not permitted to nurture in their assigned course of study.

In the immortal words of Cyndi Lauper, you would cry too if it happened to you. I certainly would.

The short-term consequence is that students underperform in college. The long-term consequence might well be that all the attention and funding given to education will not pay off in the long run.

Do teachers in other ministerial colleges feel the same? Is the scenario better in the private colleges, said to be attended by students with less diligence and more money? Does anyone know why this happens?

I am positively itching to know what you think.

kk

[veiledsentiments]

This is how it is all over the Gulf. It is their exam score that decides their major... with no input whatsoever from the student. There is no such thing as guidance counselors in secondary school. No student is ever asked their interests. Your score is X... mabruk, you will study medicine... if it is Y, you get into Education... and the lowest scores get into Law. (rather different than our rating system which has law at the top with medicine) When I was at SQU, students had the right to move down the list. If you were placed in Medicine, you could move down the charts, but no one could move up.

One odd thing that happened at the beginning was that a group of women were put into the Law major at SQU. After they were in there for 3+ years and almost ready to graduate, someone remembered that women can't be judges, so they could not be awarded a degree. There was lots of hysteria in the halls for awhile, and they were not any happier when they learned that they had been moved up one step on the 'ladder' and were now Agriculture majors. Some of them were city girls. It was a real mess.

I couldn't find anyone who could tell me why this system exists. And to be honest, most of them looked at me as if it was an odd question to ask. I suspect that it could come from the generally paternalistic society that also expects to choose a child's spouse.

The situation in this area is better in the private colleges. When you pay the money, you choose the major. BTW, there were just as many hard working students percentage-wise as in the government colleges and definitely not all of them are rich. Many of their families have to scrimp to put together the tuition money.

VS
(and BTW... It's my Party was Leslie Gore... Did Lauper do a remake?)

[Archangel]

Hi Kuberkat,

The sad fact is that many students who graduate just will not find the jobs there. Oman is a one commodity economy - oil. Once that runs out, you will find that all our efforts to help this country will be in vain. It will sink back to obscurity and poverty again, perhaps not as bad as pre-1970, but economies can and do go backwards.

Even now, I feel that with all the millions of rials pumped into education, it will make little difference in the long run. This country, like others in the region, depend on oil exports; they actually have little else. Without oil, Oman's economy is about on par with that of Albania's. It is only the export of oil that keeps these countries afloat. Once it is gone, there is little else. Just take a drive around Oman. Do you see much in the way of real heavy industry? Not really. There are a lot of food-stuff shops and hairdressing shops, but little else. Oman's imports out-weight its exports. There are many car yards and companies selling imported goods, but little in the way of locally manufactured goods and exports.

Millions of dollars are leaving the country in the form of cheap Indian labour remittances. It is only the export of oil thus far that is keeping the books balanced.

So yes, I would agree that the " long-term consequence might well be that all the attention and funding given to education will not pay off in the long run".

[SandyMan]

Hi Kuberkat,

No students are assigned to certain courses here at Nizwa College of Applied Sciences. In the first semester, all students did introductory courses in the four majors on offer: IT, business studies, communication and design. In the second semester, the students had to narrow it down to two subjects, but the college allowed them to change their minds during the first two weeks, so it was pretty chaotic here, with some classes having 15 students and other classes up to 29 students. We were told it was a "student's right" to choose any subject and change his or her mind during the first two weeks as well. When the students start the second year this coming autumn, they will have to choose one of the four majors on offer and they can choose whatever they want.

I have no idea what happens at other MoHE colleges, nor do I know how our students ended up at our college to begin with, but once they are here, they can choose any subject they want.

However, asking students why they have chosen a certain subject can be quite illuminating. It's not unusual to hear, "My friend so-and-so is doing this course" or "So-and-so told me this was a good choice."

[Duffy]

Hi Sandyman


When we doing the speaking exam one of the students, when asked why he did not study in his home town of Sohar, said that he had no choice.

It seems that the student who over 85 marks in the Secondary School exam got to go to Sohar College. The rest were sent all over Oman.

Duffy

[007]

[kuberkat]

First off, thanks for setting me straight on the lyricography, VS. Today's youth/thirtysomethings- no culture!

Sandyman's post seemed encouraging, but if students are still picking careers in such a willy-nilly fashion, maybe choosing for them is not so bad after all.

It's amazing what determinism/fatalism can do to the old perspective, innit? Imagine having both your life partner and your livelihood chosen for you.

(Incidentally, when a guidance counsellor suggested I study teaching, I was livid. I didn't. But here we are. Talk about fate!)

[RAHMA.Alfoori]

It's unfortunate that most of the literature written about this important issue is in Arabic Language. Expat teachers need to get more background about such procedures and how they are enacted in the public or private sectors especially that they are involved in the teaching process. There have been a number of conducted studies on whether students should be given absolute freedom in choosing their majors or should institutions help in selecting the most appropriate majors for students based on their grades.

No doubt, many students often ask, " How can I be sure I am making the right major choice?" Making a very well-informed decision is not an easy task to students. There are areas in which they should learn more before making any decision: themselves, academic aspects of any educational institute and career-related aspects of majors. Before the process of applying to any public or private sector, each student is expected to have already specified their area of interest. Yet, the criterion of admitting a student to an undergraduate programme is also subject to different conditions that are to be met. 'Interest' is included but sometimes it's not as adequate to prioritize.

The private sector allows students more space in selecting their major or even changing it especially that they are paying the money to the institute! So, when students fail their subjects, the institute doesn't lose financially; on the contrary, they gain more benefits out of re-enrolling into the courses. However, each private institute sets its own criterion for admitting students for higher studies.


How is the case in the public sector?

Being a graduate of SQU, I remember very well that we were given a list of options to choose the school we were more interested in. Because I had performed very well in the Arts subjects, SQU admitted me to College of Arts though it was my second choice. Some students may apply to programmes that are not appropriate to their academic level or background just because they fear the ghost of unemployment or due to other factors! Then, the public sector is expected to pay all the expenses of studies as well as tolerate failures of some incompetent students because of their weak academic performance. I believe that when the ministry admits students according to certain conditions this guarantees at least that students don't apply to the 'absolutely' wrong majors. In addition, students are given the opportunity to change their major when they prove they are competent enough to undertake a more challenging programme.

However, this will not eliminate the other risk, 'The short-term consequence is that students underperform in college. The long-term consequence might well be that all the attention and funding given to education will not pay off in the long run.'(Kuberkat).This also needs to be taken into consideration because we shouldn't expect students to perform well in subjects they feel they are forced to. But how can we compromise remains an open question?!

If the MOHE is thinking of taking a more daring step to prioritize students' interests even when their marks in the chosen areas do not indicate to an expected good performance on the long run, they will certainly face other kinds of obstacles.

[RAHMA.Alfoori]

veiledsentiments:
"There is no such thing as guidance counselors in secondary school. No student is ever asked their interests. Your score is X... mabruk,'

Many things have changed! We have guidance counselors in secondary schools as well as we have 2 guidance centers at SQU.

veiledsentiments:
When I was at SQU, students had the right to move down the list. If you were placed in Medicine, you could move down the charts, but no one could move up.'

This is not accurate! Students can move up if they prove themselves competent!

[veiledsentiments]

If so, why are Kuberkat's current students still complaining about the same issue just as they were years ago?

In 2002, we had students being brought in from the countryside - paid for by the government - to my private college to take classes and they hadn't a clue what they were going to study. They didn't know what a guidance counselor was. There is still a great deal of disconnect between supposed goals and reality.

But, it appears that they know the problem and are working on it. As I have said many times on this board. This is a young education system with many kinks to work out, but they have come a long way since 1970.

An even bigger problem looming on the horizon is that if they do educate all these young people, how and where are they going to find jobs? Have there been manpower needs studies? Have these guidance counselors been advised on how to direct these students to the fields where people are needed? I fear not, but this is the next step...

[RAHMA.Alfoori]

veiledsentiments,

As I mentioned before that sometimes students aspire some majors they are not very capable of excelling at. Therefore, some students' interests in that case are not prioritized because experience has shown that some are also under the influence of their friends or relatives in making their decisions. Conformity as stated by psychologists has a powerful role on affecting students' decisions. There is an increase of awareness among students that they have to make a well-informed decision that wouldn't just match interest but also allow them to perform well in what they are apparently good at according to their academic transcripts.

Why have the colleges been transformed to 'specialized colleges? Why has English become the medium of instructions at these colleges?

Based on manpower needs studies, numerous colleges have been transformed to meet the market! Before graduating from schools, students are given workshops on how to choose the majors or apply to institutions to pursue their studies or get better jobs. My brother will join the secondary school very soon. He told me that some advisers keep attending their schools to inform them about how to choose majors as well as talk to them about the jobs opportunities when they graduate from this stage. They have been also provided handbooks to offer them guidelines as well as they involve parents into this process of making major decisions. Parents have been invited to schools and counseling centres to help their children in making such decisions. There is an available service offered by the National Centre of Registration and Admission and an online website to achieve such objectives! Annual Vocational Guidance exhibitions take place at Oman Hall of Exhibitions in Muscat. Vocational Career Counseling Centre at SQU serves the community and its continuous publications and workshops are testaments to the efforts exerted in that regard. There are some private counseling centers that also provide such service.

However, taking the decision of making English Language as the medium of instructions has presented intricate obstacles to many students who could have excelled in the same majors using their first language, Arabic. This created all of the difficulties the teachers and students are facing. Students don't want to study these majors in English Language but there is no other choice. Teachers are aware that students are not that motivated to undertake the shoulder of studying all subjects in English Language. At the same time, English Language has gained so much power on the academic field that no institution would deny its importance to development on the international commercial/economic and scientific levels. The MOHE is becoming more aware of the importance of teaching some major subjects in both languages and I am sure this will be enacted very soon the coming year according to some officials. I congratulate the ministry to gain two beautiful 'birds'/'languages' with one golden 'stone' of decision.

I believe that expat teachers are not aware of so many activities and I assume that not speaking or reading in Arabic Language will perhaps keep them isolated from what's happening in the societies they are working at. An Arabic Language course is recommended to have answers to so many frustrating questions! Many of the employment questions asked here have an answer with the Ministry of Manpower.
http://www.manpower.gov.om/


Becoming AWARE that some difficulties exist is a good step to solving the issues raised!

[veiledsentiments]

[kuberkat]

It is true that information on ministerial policy seldom reaches the average foreign teacher. Thank you for handing down all this information, RAHMA.ALFoori. As to an Arabic course, I am probably several years away from reading Arabic policy documents, even with instruction, but it would be welcome. Formal Arabic courses would be a boon to expat teachers in the isolated college towns!

It is very encouraging to hear that more attention is being given to the matter of career guidance in general. However, I believe that the relative choice given to students at SQU is not available to the majority of college students. It has been mentioned that the current practice is intended to place students according to their aptitude, but this still appears to be determined by grades rather than specific ability. And while the interests of a young adult wax and wane, there is no denying that it is an essential ingredient for success.

Thank you all for the comments: I hope there will be more, particularly on positive developments in this area.

[bje]

[007]