Job Discussion Forums

[lazycomputerkids]

[RUBALKHALI]

Interesting comments from the blogger from CEN

Canadian Educ Network(CEN) got 1 contract for 1 tech college in Jizan.

American Higher Educ(AHE) got contracts for 4 tech colleges in the major cities in the Kingdom.

[sheikher]

1. "GC", it seems, has made the giant leap from petrodollars to edudollars.

Companies interested in participating in the 1997 Arab Oil & Gas Show should contact Dr George S. Chrysomilides, President & CEO, Cosmos Pacific Investment & Consulting Inc.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:a27Bl0fAdZoJ:www.cseg.ca/publications/recorder/1997/06jun/jun97-grapevine.pdf+Dr.+George+S.+Chrysomilides&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiy8uHxxeJMvikSMuL27IM4LtLg7sNDUN9dKKgDfMWgXMjguvkjZ-cEmcxQ8tHeXVXaY6m9WdJ49pqpNV6Lj9UGoEFQ3M_XmSXUuHfdhJI6syxgB5tl8bi9F6EhG8WAsj51vnnP&sig=AHIEtbSU3CxiucMvFVdwFavSrtV1ttn1tA



2. Canadian Education Network's college in Jazan seems to be nothing more than a conduit through which Saudi students may attempt admission to universities in British Columbia.

JEDDAH: Students heading for Canada to pursue higher education can now qualify themselves for university admissions in Saudi Arabia. This follows the efforts of the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Canadian Education Network to make the UBC English testing program available in the Kingdom.

http://www.a1saudiarabia.com/Canadian-center-to-give-English-proficiency-tests-in-Kingdom/

http://www.a1saudiarabia.com/tag/george-s-chrysomilides/

http://www.mbt3th.us/vb/forum107/thread108847.html

Though CEN is a private initiative it has been receiving funding from the Canadian government and its member institutions which allowed CEN to expand its services throughout the Gulf.

http://www.ameinfo.com/39325.html



3. "GC" and his cohorts were given a bit of a tongue-lashing a mere three years ago.

The Globe and Mail reports on the recent Saudi Arabia incident in which women who were representing Canada and a post-secondary institution at an education fair were ushered out by �Virtue� police.

George Chrysomilides, president of the Canadian Education Network, said there hasn�t been an incident like this in the 10 years Canada has attended the event, and he plans to get to the bottom of it.

�From what I hear � the religious police were very rude. They shouted at them in a way that was disrespectful and they shut down the booth, the Canadian embassy booth as well as the LaSalle College booth,� Mr. Chrysomilides said in an interview Monday.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Bernard Nguyen said he was waiting to hear details of the incident that took place last Wednesday.

But the Canadian embassy in Saudi Arabia put out a statement over the weekend, protesting against the actions of authorities in the region.

�Such unprofessional incidents are very damaging to Saudi Arabia�s international reputation,� the embassy said.

�Prior to the event, we specifically inquired whether women staff would be permitted at the exhibition and we were told by the organizers, the Al-Harithy Company, that they would.�

Women in Saudi Arabia are expected to cover themselves in public and are not allowed to work in mixed environments in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

http://antigonemagazine.wordpress.com/2007/05/09/canadian-women-thrown-out-of-saudi-arabian-education-fair/


Good luck with the North Star series, George! There are variants of mutaween in most every classroom.



4a. Do not be so certain that KSA's "lack of recognition" was attributable solely to University Canada West's "use of distance learning". This is the same university in cahoots with Al Shabaka Training in cahoots with King Faisal University.

Hanf, a new applicant, says: When I asked about the university�s statistics and standings, he refused to give me any real data, as he said they had a different criteria for measuring their standards. I felt like a salesman was pressuring me and trying to get me into a shady commitment. Finally, he said if I wanted to apply, he needed $150.00 USD. He kept rushing and insisting I give him my credit card number without explaining any of the regulations. I finally caved and give him my card number. However, after giving it some thought, I realized I needed more time to decide whether I wanted to apply to a school that seemed more like a scam than a real institution. I called the representative back and asked for a refund of my $150 USD and was refused several times by him and his senior director...

Alex says: University Canada West is a scam, and their MBA program is the worst in the country. Its in an a small office in an office building in a dodgy part of Vancouver. University Canada West is without a doubt the worst university in Canada, and it will only embarrass you on a resume.

http://reviews.collegetimes.us/british-columbia/university-canada-west/



4b. Evidently Chinese higher education officials may have doubted the academic integrity of University Canada West.

China is warning students who want to study abroad to avoid private post-secondary schools in Canada because it says shady operators are ripping off hundreds of international students every year.

The warning was issued late last year by the Chinese Education Ministry, a spokesman for the Chinese consulate in Vancouver said Monday. Its impact will be felt mainly in B.C. and Ontario because those two provinces have the most private schools catering to international students.

"We want to protect our Chinese students from being cheated," education consul Jianhui Xia said in an interview.

The consulate is in discussions with the B.C. government to determine if other private universities also deserve exemptions, he said, mentioning, in particular, University Canada West..

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=eaed76aa-f007-47fb-be08-a0bb4262bec3&k=35721



4c. Accreditation details:

UCAN is not a member of the The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada is the voice of Canada's universities, representing 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada is the de facto university accreditation association in Canada.

"A university should offer a wide range of instructional programs backed up by an extensive research mandate," said Norma Wieland, president of the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C. "From the information that has been made available to date, David Strong's institution is nowhere close to meeting that goal."

"The fundamental problem here is that it is impossible for the general public to know what they are getting with this institution," said Robert Clift, executive director of CUFA/BC. "The public universities operate in an atmosphere of openness and accountability, but Strong has been able to conceal the details of his plans and yet still get government approval."

Yep, like the student recruiter said, UCW had a different criteria for measuring their standards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Canada_West



4d. Bankruptcy: University Canada West, a private Victoria institution which has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and failed to attract enough students since it opened in 2005, has quietly been sold for an undisclosed sum.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=fa9c76c8-cfdd-4b1c-9eaa-d154e08725a1

Calculation? According to Those in the Know, fifty cents on the dollar.

UCW...failed to attract enough students and it's now been sold for an undisclosed sum. The new owner is Peter Chung, an executive with a giant educational conglomerate called the Eminata Group. His company owns 30 educational centres across Canada, including Vancouver Career College...

UCW, is Gordon Cambell's fault, and allowing such profit grubbing greed to disguise itself as a University is unbelievable.

What I am curious about however, is what happened to Peter Chung's LA based educational institutions that the state put out of business nearly bankrupting him before his trek north to Canada. His wife says they "were running into some political pressure from public institutions because our budget was getting very, very big." And in the end he battled with the government and lost 95% of his capital. What was that all about?

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/reportcard/archive/2008/11/23/private-b-c-university-sold.aspx



5. Yes, George C, how 'bout them tourist visas??? What's your wasta count?[/b][/b]

[lazycomputerkids]

Welcome to a smackdown.

[RUBALKHALI]

[RobertinOman]

Canadian Educational Network is out. SAGIA has taken direct control of program in Jazan.

[goodooga]

Anyone working there now? I see they are seeking to recruit a number of ESL teachers. If you are there, how is it going at the college? Fully resourced or make it up day by day? Accommodation? Social life? Would be happy for any information you may want to share.

[Saudi4Ever]

I have no idea why, but If ell in love with Jazan after googling it. I'm a simple person and I like simple living. I live in Riyadh now and wouldn't mind the change. Riyadh is so expensive and the cost of living in Jizan seems like I could my dream Villa would be affordable...lol

If anyone has more info on life in Jizan, please do tell.

[Beansontoast]

Have just been told that the course has been up and running since last April, and that it has(had?) somewhere in the region of 15-20 English teachers.

Would be interested to hear from anyone who is teaching/has taught there.

BT