Enough is Enough: Corruption, Racism, and Fascism in the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman

hence, the importance of managing this “army” of expatriates effectively and improving their academic and social status.

(For more details, read my article: “On the Occasion of Oman National Day: Higher Education and Sustainable Development” published on LinkedIn on November 18, 2015) Rustaq College of Education: Rustaq College of Corruption I was teaching M.A. and Ph.D. students at a university in Jordan when I signed my work contract with the Omani Ministry of Higher Education. The Ministry offered no details of the job or the work contract; it just provided an air ticket.

I arrived at A’Seeb Airport (the name has been changed to Muscat Airport) on 9/11/2001. A representative from the Ministry met me at the airport with a very friendly smile I still remember after more than 17 years! He drove me to a nice hotel through many modern well-lit streets with beautiful flowers arranged with a gentle touch on both sides! I felt very hopeful and optimistic about my new job.

The following morning, I was driven from the hotel in Muscat to Al-Sawadi hotel in Barka- a well-known commercial district in Oman. I was told I would be allowed to stay at the hotel for two days only at the expense of the Rustaq College, after which I would have to report to work at the College, find my own accommodation or pay my own expenses. This information was passed to me orally by a driver from the College in a very impolite way. Imagine yourself arriving a foreign country to take up an academic job and you are required to find your own accommodation within two days and start teaching immediately. I found the whole arrangements very inconvenient and really stingy. I thought I would find a more hospitable reception in a country like Oman.

After only three days of my arrival in the country, I started teaching at the Rustaq College of Education and I was surprised to find that all my students were female.

This brought back some of my lost enthusiasm. The country, at least, believes in the education of women. I thought I would never find a female student on campus. One peculiar thing about these female students was that they were all dressed in black: black clothes, black veils, black Abayas, as if they were attending a funeral or going to a cemetery!

I was assigned a schedule for teaching the English Language skills to students who were studying other specializations (Arabic, History, Chemistry, Physics, Computer science) to become teachers in primary and secondary schools.

I was happy during the first few years, especially that my students were very polite, friendly, sociable, and very hard-working. I felt these students did have the desire and