The Concept of Conflict of Interest and Corruption in Higher Education Institutions

“When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads.” ―?Ron Paul

"A situation in which an individual or entity becomes unreliable because of a clash between personal (or self-serving) interests and professional duties or responsibilities." -- Investopedia?

?“The tail of the dog never becomes straight.???? ????? ???? ?? ?????) - Iraqi proverb

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"—Martin Luther King, Jr

“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” – John Lewis

Introduction

Simply defined, the term "conflict of interest" refers to a situation in which an individual like a judge, a manager, a top executive, a researcher, an academic or entity like a company, a university, or a court of law becomes unreliable because of a clash between personal (or self-serving) interests and professional duties and responsibilities.

A conflict of interest?occurs when an individual's personal interests – family, friendships, financial, or social factors – could compromise his or her judgment, decisions, or actions in the workplace. Government agencies take conflicts of interest so seriously that they are regulated.

A conflict of interest arises when a person chooses personal gains over the duties to an organization where they are a stakeholder or exploits their position for personal gains in some way.

The types of conflict of interest include romantic or relational, financial, competitive, or confidential. They all involve individuals engaging in activities that lead to personal gains at the expense of the organizations they work for.?

A real conflict of interest occurs when there is a conflict between the public duty and personal interests of an employee that improperly influences the employee's loyalty and execution of their duties.

There are many examples of situations where a conflict of interest may occur: a lawyer representing a spouse or a relative or a friend in a court of law, a judge presiding over a case in which he has a personal interest in one party winning the case, starting a business that competes with your full-time employer, advising a client to invest in a company owned by your spouse or a member of the family.

What is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest occurs when an entity or individual becomes unreliable because of a clash between personal (or self-serving) interests and professional duties or responsibilities. Such a conflict occurs when a company or person has a?vested interest—such as money, status, knowledge, relationships, or reputation—which puts into question whether their actions, judgment, or decision-making can be unbiased.

Some examples of a conflict of interest could be:

• Representing a family member in court
• Starting a business that competes with your full-time employer
• Advising a client to invest in a company owned by your spouse
• Hiring an unqualified relative or friend

When such a situation arises, the party with the conflict of interest is usually asked to remove themselves, and it is often legally required of them. (1)

An "interest" is a commitment, obligation, duty, or goal associated with a particular social role or practice (2). ?By definition, a "conflict of interest" occurs if, within a particular decision-making context, an individual is subject to two coexisting interests that are in direct conflict with each other. Such a matter is of importance because under such circumstances the decision-making process can be disrupted or compromised in a manner that affects the integrity or the reliability of the outcomes.

A widely used definition is: "A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgment or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest." (3). Primary interest?refers to the principal goals of the profession or activity, such as the protection of clients, the health of patients, the integrity of research, and the duties of public officers.?Secondary interest?includes personal benefit and is not limited to only financial gain but also such motives as the desire for professional advancement, or the wish to do favors for family and friends.

By definition, a "conflict of interest" occurs if, within a particular decision-making context, an individual is subject to two coexisting interests that are in direct conflict with each other. Such a matter is of importance because under such circumstances the decision-making process can be disrupted or compromised in a manner that affects the integrity or the reliability of the outcomes.

Conflict of Interest in Business

A conflict of interest in business normally refers to a situation in which an individual's personal interests conflict with the professional interests owed to their employer or the company in which they are invested. A conflict of interest arises when a person chooses personal gain over the duties to an organization in which they are a?stakeholder?or exploits their position for personal gain in some way.

All corporate board members have?fiduciary?duties and a?duty of loyalty?to the corporations they oversee. (4), (5)

If one of the directors chooses to take action that benefits them to the detriment of the firm, they are harming the company with a conflict of interest.

One example might be the board member of a property insurance company who votes on the induction of lower premiums for companies with fleet vehicles—when they own a truck company. Even if the institution of lower premiums isn't a bad business move for the insurer, it could still be considered a conflict of interest because the?board member?has a special interest in the outcome.

Self-dealing?is the most common type of conflict of interest in the business world. It occurs when a management-level professional accepts a transaction from another organization that benefits the manager and?harms the company?or the company's clients.

Gift issuance is also a very common conflict of interest. It happens when a corporate manager or officer accepts a gift from a client or a similar type of person. Companies normally circumvent this issue by prohibiting gifts from customers to individual employees.

Troublesome situations may also arise when, in the course of professional duties, an individual collects confidential information. Any information of this type used for personal gain by an employee is a huge conflict of interest, at least in the United States. The financial industry constantly grapples with this type of conflict of interest in the form of?insider trading.

Finally, the hiring of, or showing favorable workplace treatment to, a relative or spouse—known as nepotism—can result in a potential conflict of interest.

A financial advisor who knowingly advises clients to purchase financial products that are not in their best interests (too expensive, too risky, or not in line with stated goals), but which earn the advisor a bigger commission, would be guilty of conflict of interest.

In the financial industry, an?agency problem?refers to a type of conflict of interest where agents don't fully represent the best interests of their principals. The?Enron scandal?is an extreme example of an agency problem that led to the collapse of what was at the time one of the largest companies in the United States.

In 2001, Enron Corporation declared bankruptcy after it was revealed that the top leaders in the company had used?mark-to-market?accounting and?special purpose vehicles (SPVs)?to hide financial losses. This made the company appear more profitable than it really was. (6)

While Enron's executives had a legal responsibility to protect the interests of its shareholders, some executives instead engaged in illegal activities to camouflage the company's massive losses and debts. Share prices dropped from over $90 a share to under $1 a share (7). Several executives were indicted for their actions and eventually sent to prison. (8)

There often is confusion over these two situations. Someone accused of a conflict of interest may deny that a conflict exists because he/she did not act improperly. In fact, a conflict of interest can exist even if there are no improper acts as a result of it. One way to understand this is to use the term "conflict of roles". A person with two roles—an individual who owns?stock?and is also a?government?official, for example—may experience situations where those two roles conflict. The conflict can be mitigated but it still exists. The differing roles will certainly provide an incentive for improper acts. (9)

As an example, in the sphere of business and control, according to the?Institute of Internal Auditors:

"conflict of interest?is a situation in which an?internal auditor, who is in a position of trust, has a competing professional or personal interest. Such competing interests can make it difficult to fulfill his or her duties impartially. A conflict of interest exists even if no?unethical?or improper act results. A conflict of interest can create an appearance of impropriety that can undermine confidence in the internal?auditor, the?internal audit?activity, and the profession. A conflict of interest could impair an individual's ability to perform his or her duties and responsibilities objectively." (10), (11)

Conflict of Interest in Healthcare Industry

The influence of the?pharmaceutical industry?on medical research has been a major cause for concern. In 2009 a study found that "a number of academic institutions" do not have clear guidelines for relationships between Institutional Review Boards and industry:

"At a time of heightened concern about conflicts of interest posed by relationships between academic medical researchers and commercial firms, a new study finds that a significant number of academic institutions do not have clear policies covering the industrial relationships of members of?institutional review boards?(IRBs), committees charged with ensuring that clinical studies uphold patient rights and follow ethical guidelines." (12)

The?medical-industrial complex?describes the interaction between physicians' conflict of interest with?for-profit healthcare,?continuing medical education, and patients' ethical considerations. (13)

However, this does not mean that there should not be contacts or relationships between academic medical researchers and commercial firms. It only means that the researchers should disclose any funding of the research by commercial companies and avoid any potential possibility of influence of this funding on the results of the research.

In an article and associated editorial in the?New England Journal of Medicine?in May 2015 (14)?emphasized the importance of pharmaceutical industry-physician interactions for the development of novel treatments. The article noted that major healthcare organizations such as the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the?President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the World Economic Forum, the Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Food and Drug Administration had encouraged greater interactions between physicians and industry to bring greater benefits to patients. (15)

Conflict of Interest is sometimes termed?competition of interest?rather than "conflict", emphasizing a?connotation?of natural?competition?between valid interests—rather than the classical definition of conflict, which would include by definition including a victim and unfair aggression.

Lessig (2011)?noted that this does not mean that the funding source influenced the results. However, it does raise questions about the validity of the industry-funded studies specifically, because the researchers conducting those studies have a conflict of interest; they are subject at minimum to a natural human inclination to please the people who paid for their work. Lessig provided a similar summary of 326 studies of the potential harm from cell phone usage with results that were similar but not as stark. (16)

Conflict of Interest in Research

A conflict of interest in research exists when the researcher has interests in the outcome of the research that may lead to a personal advantage or illegitimate gain This may compromise the integrity of the research and yield fake results.

Research involving human beings remains particularly challenging to the scientific community. Studying people, their tissues, and their data raises ethical complexities not seen with basic research, including responsibility for the safety and privacy of study participants. Investigators must also help participants learn before, during, and after a study the rationale, procedures, and results of the study. Both international and domestic research requires sensitivity to the cultural background and preferences of participants. Unlike molecular, cellular, or animal studies, human subjects require fairness in participation, respect for their autonomy, and protection from harm.

Research integrity may be defined as active adherence to the ethical principles and professional standards essential for the responsible practice of research. By active adherence we mean adoption of the principles and practices as a personal credo, not simply accepting them as impositions by rule makers. By ethical principles, we mean honesty, the golden rule, trustworthiness, and high regard for the scientific record (17).

Conflict of Interest and the Law

Conflicts of interest have been described as the most pervasive issue facing modern lawyers (18). ?Legal conflicts of interest rules are at their core corollaries to a lawyer's two basic fiduciary duties: (1) the duty of loyalty and (2) the duty to preserve client confidence (19).

In legal circles, representation by a lawyer or party with a vested interest in the outcome of the trial would be considered a conflict of interest, and the representation would not be allowed (20).

The basic formulation of the conflicts of interest rule is that a conflict exists "if there is a substantial risk that the lawyer's representation of the client would be materially and adversely affected by the lawyer's own interests or by the lawyer's duties to another current client, a former client, or a third person." (21). ?

A judge deciding a bench trial or arbitrator in binding arbitration must not decide a case where a relative, acquaintance or business partner is a party. Because they may give overly favorable terms to that party, or where they might impose excessively harsh terms (such as a judge having their estranged child, parent, or ex-spouse as a criminal defendant being sentenced before them. Additionally, judges who have a relationship with one of the parties involved in a case or lawsuit will recuse themselves from presiding over the case (22).

Government Officials

Most reliable governments and government agencies take conflicts of interest so seriously that they are regulated.

Regulating conflict of interest in government is one of the aims of?political ethics. Public officials are expected to put service to the public ahead of their personal interests. Conflict of interest rules are intended to prevent officials from making decisions in circumstances that could reasonably be perceived as violating this duty of office. Rules in the executive branch tend to be stricter and easier to enforce than in the legislative branch (23).

A conflict of interest occurs when an individual’s personal interests – family, friendships, financial, or social factors – could compromise his or her judgment, decisions, or actions in the workplace. Government agencies take conflicts of interest so seriously that they are regulated. Industry organizations, corporations, and universities, including our university, follow that lead by including conflicts of interest in our policies, regulations, and standards of operating procedures. (24)

The Website of the Australian Government, Australian Public Service Commission offers very useful guidelines for the Australian Public Service (APS) employees to help them avoid conflicts of interest and ensure integrity and work values in government agencies. This is a nice model that can be followed not only by the public service agencies anywhere in the world but also by the private sector companies, corporations, and all other sorts of organizations. The following are examples of these guidelines:

Australian Government, Australian Public Service Commission

Australian Public Service (APS) Values and Conduct in Practice), (25)

Section 5: Conflict of Interest

5.1 Summary

5.1.1 The public is entitled to have confidence in the integrity of their public officials and to know that an Australian Public Service (APS) employee's personal interests do not conflict with his or her public duties.

5.1.2 The APS Code of Conduct (the Code) requires employees to take reasonable steps to avoid any conflict of interest, real or apparent, in connection with their employment.

5.1.3 A real conflict of interest occurs when there is a conflict between the public duty and personal interests of an employee that improperly influences the employee in the performance of his or her duties.

5.1.4 An apparent conflict of interest occurs where it appears that an employee's personal interests could improperly influence the performance of his or her duties but this is not in fact the case.

5.1.5 The appearance of a conflict can be just as damaging to public confidence in public administration as a conflict that gives rise to a concern based on objective facts.

5.1.6 Conflicts of interest, real or apparent, cannot always be avoided. Where this is the case, the Code requires employees to disclose details of any material personal interest of the employee in connection with their employment. This obligation is analogous to the general duty of officials to disclose interests under section?29 of the?Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013- external site?(PGPA Act).

5.1.7 Where there is credible evidence that a personal interest has compromised the decision made by an employee, that situation should be handled as suspected misconduct. See Section 9:?Reporting suspected misconduct?for further information.

5.2 Disclosing material interests

5.2.1 The Code requires that where a material personal interest cannot be avoided, the employee must disclose that interest so that it can be managed.

5.2.2 To be 'material' a personal interest needs to be of a type that can give rise to a real or apparent conflict of interest. Personal interests do not give rise to a conflict of interest unless there is a real or sensible possibility of conflict and not simply a remote or theoretical possibility of conflict. If no reasonable person could draw a connection between the employee's personal interest and their duties, then the personal interest is not 'material'.

5.2.3 The Department of Finance has published similar?guidance- external site?about the meaning of a 'material' interest.[16]- external site

5.2.4 The purpose of disclosure is to ensure that heads of agencies are aware of any personal interests or relationships of employees which improperly influence, or could be seen to improperly influence, employees in their duties.

5.2.5 It may be possible to make arrangements to avoid the conflict. For example, duties can be reassigned, or the employee can stand aside from relevant decisions. Disclosures and strategies to manage them should be recorded appropriately.

5.2.6 An employee holding a security clearance is subject to a separate requirement to notify their agency of any change in personal circumstances. The purpose of this notification is to determine the employee's suitability to access Australian Government resources. Guidance on notification requirements under the?Protective Security Policy Framework- external site?can be found in the?Agency personnel security responsibilities guidelines?published by the Attorney-General's Department.

Regular declarations

5.2.7 Agency heads and Senior Executive Service (SES) employees are subject to a specific regime that requires them to submit, at least annually, a written declaration of their own and their immediate family's financial and other material personal interests.

5.2.8 A template that agencies may wish to adapt for this purpose is available on the?Australian Public Service Commission's website.

5.2.9 To whom this declaration must be made will depend on the employee's role. Generally, SES employees declare their interests to their agency head, and agency heads declare their interests to the Minister. Statutory office holders generally declare their interests to the Minister and in accordance with any requirements in legislation specific to their office.

5.2.10 If the statement discloses a conflict, the parties must take steps to resolve it. Employees do so in consultation with their agency head, and an agency head must take steps to resolve any conflict in which they, themselves, are involved, in consultation with the Minister.

5.2.11 Agencies may choose to require similar regular written declarations of other employees at particular risk of conflict of interest.

5.2.12 It may be useful to require declarations when certain events occur, for example on appointment to a board or committee or before making certain types of decisions. The extent to which routine declarations are required of employees in each agency will depend on assessments of the sensitivity of the work, the administrative and resource implications, and the risks involved.

What needs to be disclosed?

5.2.13 There is no standard list of items that must be disclosed. It is the responsibility of employees to consider and disclose those personal interests or relationships that influence or could be seen to influence their actions.

A'Sharqiyah University: A Nasty Situation

Background

What has been happening at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman for many years now is shocking and disgusting. Anything goes. Anything happens. Most, if not all, of the top managers and executives of this university, are corrupt from top to bottom, from their heads down to their nails. They have always put themselves above the law, academic traditions, and conventions, academic integrity, and the basic principles of work ethics, human values, and justice.

All the systems at A'Sharqiyah University are completely broken now rendering it one of the most chaotic and toxic working places of higher education in Oman and the world.

Things are getting worse in this academic institution because the corrupt managers and executives are getting promoted for their corruption and conflicts of interest instead of being punished or sacked.

There are too many episodes and documents certifying that many top and senior managers at A’Sharqiyah University in Oman are stupid, incompetent, reckless, ruthless, and corrupt. They are unbelievably selfish and have inflicted heavy damage on the University. They do not solve any problem for any teacher, student, or employee. They create problems for everyone. A'Sharqiyah University deserves better managers than idiots like Hamed Al-Hajri, and Mohammed Al-Barashdi who mistakenly believe they are above the University's Charter, bylaws, and all the regulations of the University. This is why they have been betraying the academic and administrative trust and abusing the employees and the students and have been creating too many problems out of their stupidity, ignorance, and incompetence.

Audit System: Chronic Conflicts of Interest

Internal auditing has long been recognized as a key factor in the survival and success of companies, corporations, higher education institutions, and other types of organizations. In general terms, internal auditing is a continuous process of evaluating the organization’s management of risk in order to avoid problems and crises when malpractices and mismanagement continue in the absence of proper audits.

The role of the internal auditor is thus to look beyond financial statements and financial-related auditing into all the areas that constitute risks to the organization’s existence such as its reputation, supplier chains, health and safety risks, human resources, information technology, facilities management, customer service, and program management. For example, there will be a very high risk when the organization treats its customers unfairly or the management resorts to deceiving the customers to make profits without any consideration for professional honesty and the international code of work ethics.

To evaluate how well risks are managed in an organization, the internal auditor has the duty of assessing the effectiveness of risk management processes, systems of internal control, and governance and will then write objective and independent reports to the most senior level of

The internal auditor thus needs to be an independent, unbiased, and objective assessor who should not be under the influence of the senior management in the organization even though he is an employee of the organization itself. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. The internal auditor may be under the influence of some senior managers who control him and dictate to him how to fabricate the reports to conceal their fraud or corruption. This is especially true when the internal auditor is an expatriate employee who puts his own personal interests and the renewal of his work contract above the genuine interests of the company or the institution. This may result in grave consequences and may lead to the total collapse of the organization.

The former Director of the Internal Audit Unit (Chief Internal Auditor) at A’Sharqiyah University in Oman is a glaring example of an internal auditor whom all companies and organizations try their best to avoid. He is an unqualified, incompetent, unskilled, and dishonest auditor who has nothing to do with the profession of internal auditing. He has proved himself a hypocrite and a “stooge” for Abood Al-Sawafi (former VC) and Hamed Al-Hajri (Assistant VC). Because of his sickening dishonesty, A’Sharqiyah University has been facing high risks threatening its existence and its success as a respected academic institution. There have been many episodes and too many documents that prove beyond doubt that this chief internal auditor is a “rogue”, a big liar, and a dishonest auditor who is prepared to submit fake and dishonest reports to cover up the corruption of Abood Al-Sawafi, Hamed Al-Hajri, and Mohammed Al-Barashdi in return for the renewal of his work contract and the large salary he used to get from the University in return for his loyalty to Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri at the expense of loyalty to the University itself.

We need to emphasize here that the internal auditor needs to be an independent, unbiased, and objective assessor who should not be under the influence of the senior management in the organization even though he is an employee of the organization itself. But, unfortunately, this is not the case at A’Sharqiyah University. The Chief Internal Auditor has nothing of the qualities of a professional internal auditor; he has all the qualities of a foolish clown and a mean conspirator. This has been going on for many years at A'Sharqiyah University and continues to be the case.

When a college or a university, anywhere in the world, is run by a “gang of thieves” and unqualified, incompetent, and dishonest people who are academically and morally bankrupt and make arbitrary decisions based on fabricated documents rather than on actual facts, the whole process of internal auditing does not really mean anything except a waste of time and money.

For more details, read my article: "Internal Auditing in Businesses and Higher Education Institutions: Implications for Fighting Corruption", (LinkedIn, May 12, 2019)

Hamed Al-Hajri: A Devi-like Pixie??????? ???? ????

Hamed Al-Hajri is a devil-like pixie who controls everything, mocks everything, and laughs at everyone.? Exactly like a pixie, an animal-like mythical creature in Arab culture, he controls the situation, forces everyone to do what his selfish interests and corruption dictate, and then eludes them and laughs at them, exactly what the pixie does when he follows you in the dark or in the forest.?

Hamed al-Hajri is the instigator and planner of all the conflicts of interest and corruption practices at A'Sharqiyah University as he controls the two important functions of finance and administration.

Hamed Al-Hajri has been given powers far beyond those normally associated with the job to which he has been assigned. He can do whatever he likes and can “steal money” in different ways from the organization without being held accountable to anyone. He controls almost everything in the organization as he controls the two most important functions: administration and finance. You just do not know why and who has given him this status and these powers. He acts as a thug and as a bully. He does not care about any laws, bylaws, charters, or regulations. He puts himself “above the law” and he has a bizarre immunity. He is not held accountable by anyone for anything illegal or harmful to A'Sharqiyah University and its academic reputation.?Everyone at the University is afraid of him and they usually go to him for favors or to get things done instead of going to the dean or VC. This corrupt devil-like pixie has completely controlled the former VC (Abood Al-Sawafi) who has a very weak and shaky personality in an abnormal way. Abood Al-Sawafi used to get permission from Hamed Al-Hajri to do things or even to talk to anyone. Hamed Al-Hajri has also controlled the HR Department at A’Sharqiyah University and has turned the HR officers into slaves and robots who blindly do whatever he wants them to do regardless of the laws, bylaws, regulations, and values of integrity and honesty.

What is more than bizarre about Hamed Al-Hajri is that he has crept into the position of the Assistant VC for Administration and Finance although he does not have any academic credentials nor does he have any professional or higher education experience. All he has got, as he claims, is a fake MBA from an English-speaking country. He can hardly produce one good sentence in English; something that testifies to his MBA being a fake degree. His experience is limited to his work as a Porter and then as a Consul at an embassy in Australia as he has once mentioned in his LinkedIn profile. This experience does not, in any way, qualify him to control the administration and finance of a university.

Hamed Al-Hajri is a "rabid dog" (??? ????? ???? ???? ?????) in every sense of the word, exactly like his former boss, Abood Al-Sawafi. He barks every minute and bites everybody, especially those who approach him for anything, good or bad. He has been spending all his years at A'Sharqiyah University rendering it into a toxic workplace, conspiring against everyone, and stealing money from all teachers and employees by following methods and patterns you see only in Hollywood films. Sometimes, he goes even beyond Hollywood. It seems he has already bitten Mohammed Al-Barashdi and the other top managers at A'Sharqiyah University passing to them all his sickness, wickedness, and evil personality. Mohamed Al-Barashdi has become exactly like him denying the poor and hard-working employees their legitimate employment rights.

Hamed Al-Hajri is evil. His loyalty has always been to the Devil and to his selfish narrow interests; it has never been to A'Sharqiyah University. He always leaks confidential information and documents to insult, intimidate, and frighten all those who stand in his way of corruption, fraud, bribery, and thievery. He does not care whether the confidential information and documents will set A'Sharqiyah University ablaze; he cares only about destroying anyone who may not agree with him on this point or that.

Hamed Al-Hajri is morally bankrupt. He has been inflicting heavy damage on A’Sharqiyah University for many, many years. There is nothing to wait for. He must step down or be sacked. There is no alternative.

For more information and details, you may refer to my articles on LinkedIn, especially the following articles:

1.???? ?“Who Is This Man?”: Implications for the Management of Businesses and Higher Education Institutions (LinkedIn, October 31, 2018).

2.???? "Fake Universities and Deception in Higher Education: When Will Hamed Al-Hajri Step Down?!" (LinkedIn, February 20, 2019).

3.???? "Corruption at A’Sharqiyah University in Oman: Hamed Al-Hajri as A Corrupt Official Above the Law!" (LinkedIn, February 10, 2021).

4.???? “Why Did You Kill the Horse, Mr. Hamed Al-Hajri?”: Implications for Climate Change and Management" (LinkedIn, December 11, 2019).

?Mohammed Al-Barashdi: A Trivial Pixie ???? ????

Mohammed Al-Barashdi is the Director of Student Affairs at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman. This is a very important position and requires an academically qualified person who needs to be highly educated and brave enough to stand with the students and take up their issues and cases and follow them with the Administration of the University, the Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors, and the Ministry of Higher Education.

I worked with Mohammed Al-Barashdi at A'Sharqiyah University for more than five years (2010-2015) and I knew him very well. He is a coward, a hypocrite, and very wicked. He is a corrupt Director of Student Affairs. He does not care about the genuine interests of the students and the University. He cares about his selfish interests and his sick desires towards women and female students. He is sick-minded and always ignores any complaints against the top administration or any influential figure in the University, especially the then Vice-Chancellor Abood Al-Sawafi, the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Hamed Al-Hajri) because he is corrupt down to his nails like them. He used to take bribes from the drivers to offer the University's contracts for transporting students to and from the dormitories. He is a perverted person in every sense of the word, exactly like Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri. He takes bribes from Hamed Al-Hajri and asks his son, who works in a newspaper in Ibra, to write good reports in Arabic about A'Sharqiyah University although he knows and everybody knows that the image and academic reputation of the University has always been going down the drain because of the high level of incompetence and corruption of its officials; particularly, Hamed Al-Hajri.

Unfortunately, Mohammed Al-Barashdi is a coward, a selfish and trivial person, unqualified, uneducated, vulgar, uncivilized, and does not know anything about his job. He has stayed in his job just because he is complicit in all the problems facing the students of A'Sharqiyah University and just because he is a slave and a puppet for the corrupt top administrators of A'Sharqiyah University, especially Hamed Al-Hajri who controls everything at the University, including the work contracts of the academics and administrative staff.

Mohammed Al-Barashdi is rotten and corrupt from top to bottom, from his head to his nails. Instead of being honest and loyal to the University, he is loyal to his corrupt direct boss, Hamed Al-Hajri who is one of the most notorious corrupt officials in Oman and the world. They both coordinate their corruption and take bribes from the students and even from the poor, hard-working bus drivers in return for temporary work contracts of transportation of female students from the dormitories to the University and vice versa.

I worked with Mohammed Al-Barashdi for many years at A'Sharqiyah University and have always found him stupid, incompetent, cowardly, reckless, unbelievably selfish, trivial, and corrupt. He has inflicted heavy damage on the students and A'Sharqiyah University.

There are too many episodes and documents certifying that Mohammed Al-Barashdi is exactly as I have described him although I am very merciful with my description of him here. He is good for nothing and is not fit to lead a student affairs department in any higher education institution. Like his boss, Hammed Al-Hajri, he is not even fit for herding two goats in the desert of A'Sharqiyah region!

When I used to discuss with him the importance of rigorous academic programs and students' problems and issues and what Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri were doing to destroy the academic reputation and the infrastructure of the University, he used to laugh or give broad silly smiles that indicate he is a sick person who is prepared to cling to his position by all corrupt and crooked means.

For shortage of time and space, I would like here to mention some of the most important academic and behavioral problems and issues that have been facing the students of A'Sharqiyah University and how Mohammed Al-Barashdi has been silent about them. He has been both a complicit in the destruction of A'Sharqiyah University and an active instigator of this destruction.

Students' Laptops

During the Academic Year 2012-2013, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the late Sultan of Oman, granted a laptop to each student at A’Sharqiyah University in Oman. A Distribution Committee was formed from officials representing the Ministry of Higher Education and officials representing the Department of Student Affairs at A’Sharqiyah University. The Committee did a very good job and each and every student received a laptop. The students were very happy and so were the teachers. The laptops were very helpful in our teaching and in enhancing the quality of academic interaction between the teachers and the students. Then came Abood Al-Sawafi (former VC) and Hamed Al-Hajri (Assistant VC) to destroy this generous grant. Instead of distributing the laptops to the students, they decided to distribute them to the teachers. This was a repulsive decision that annoyed both the teachers and the students. I raised this point in an official meeting with both Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri. They replied that the laptops were not granted to the students; they were granted to the teachers! This was completely false and a mere fabrication. The grant was instructed personally by His Majesty the late Sultan and the first batch of students received their own laptops, so how could the grant be diverted to the teachers? It turned out the University was supposed to buy laptops for the teachers to assist them in teaching and tutoring. So instead of buying laptops for the teachers from the University’s budget, Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri decided to cancel His Majesty’s grant and stop distributing the laptops to the students.

As we have heard, later on, the grant was supposed to have continued up to now! All the students at A’Sharqiyah University are to get personal laptops to assist them in their learning and academic tasks and assignments. This was a great, generous decision.?But, being greedy, short-sighted, and corrupt, Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri stole all students’ laptops and deprived our students of distance learning, especially during this COVID-19 crisis.

Students' Transport

The University has been established to serve A’Sharqiyah region which is one of the most underdeveloped parts of Oman and the world. It is located about 150 Km from Muscat, the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman. The road is one of the most dangerous roads in Oman and is nicknamed “The Death Road”. There are many car accidents every day, maybe every hour, with many fatalities.

A'Sharqiyah University was built in the middle of the desert in the North of A'Sharqiyah region far away from the main road or any paved road. The University was, and is, inaccessible without a private car or a taxi or another vehicle.

The University started its educational operations by conducting the Placement Test on 28 November 2010 and then teaching on 1 December 2010. The University used to provide accommodation in dormitories for female students only; the male students had to find their accommodation in the private sector, usually flats and houses and there were not many of them in Ibra, where the University is located, as Ibra is a very small undeveloped town with many scattered villages. The University hired only a few buses, only four as far as I remember, for the transport of thousands of female students to and from the dormitories. The buses were too few to transport all the female students smoothly as they used to carry far more than their capacity. Each bus used to carry more than 50 students whereas its normal capacity was between 18 and 20. Too many students used to stand on the buses and this used to cause many car accidents most students used to come too late for their classes in the Foundation Program in the Language Center and too late for their lectures in the Study Program in the Colleges. You can imagine how many problems and clashes used to happen between the teachers and the students who used to come too late for their classes and lectures.

Surprisingly, Mohammed Al-Barashdi has always been silent about this dangerous problem. He has been a spectator because he was a coward and a puppet for Hamed Al-Hajri who is his direct boss and is in full control over him.

Students' Tuition Fees

Most of the students, females, and males, at A'Sharqiyah University are from poor families. Many of these families live on social security allowances and the money they get is hardly enough for their basic needs. Because of this miserable situation, many Social Security students are unable to pay their tuition fees on time according to the rigid timelines of payment set up by the University. Abood Al-Sawafi, the then VC, Hamed Al-Hajri, his Assistant VC, Mohammed Al-Barashdi, the Director of Student Affairs, used to go around the classrooms and the lecture rooms to kick the students out and deprive them of their lectures if they had not paid their tuition fees on time. This used to embarrass the students and cause great shame to them and their families, especially those from the villages.

This disgusting, uncivilized way of forcing students to pay their tuition fees is still going on without any shame on the part of the Accountants and the top managers of A'Sharqiyah University. Mohammed Al-Barashdi who is the Director of the Student Affairs Department is supposed to defend the students' rights and dignity, not to embarrass them and intimidate them in front of their classmates and their teachers.

Garbage Foundation Program

The General Foundation Program (GFP) was one of the most successful programs at A’Sharqiyah University and in Oman as a whole. It has been designed as per the International standards and benchmarks of Foundation Programs. It used to consist of four components: English Component, Mathematics Component, Computing, and IT Component with the General and Academic Study Skills component taught in specific courses and also built in the other three components. All components follow the criteria and standards of higher education as stipulated by the Ministry of Higher Education and other education and accreditation authorities.

The Program was of very high quality and was effective in helping students attain the prescribed student learning outcomes in at least four areas of learning: English, Mathematics, Computing and IT, and General and Academic Study Skills. It was very popular among students and their parents and the University gained a very good academic reputation for it. Students used to refuse to move to other colleges and universities without completing the Foundation Program at the University. Then came Abood Al-Sawafi, VC, and his Assistant VC, Hamed Al-Hajri illegally canceled the Foundation Program in violation of all the legal obligations of the University towards its students and their genuine interests and in defiance of the Ministry of Higher Education and all accreditation authorities.

So what did they do?

• The Program has been drastically reduced in terms of scope, hours, teaching materials, quizzes, tests, and exams. It no longer covers all the English Language skills as it used to do. The number of books has been reduced from eight books to only one!

• As with any Foundation Program in English as a Foreign Language situation, textbooks play a vital role in the teaching and learning process. The students belong to a culture where the teacher and the textbook are the main two sources of teaching and learning. Without new and good textbooks, learning is at a minimum or almost non-existent. Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri used to refuse to buy new textbooks for the Foundation Program students even though they received the costs of the books from the Ministry of Higher Education and the self-sponsored students. This has been going on for many years and because of the repeated re-use, the books have become very old, torn-out, and unsuitable. All the exercises in the books had been solved by former students so the new students do not find these exercises challenging or useful for learning English as the exercises contain all the answers. This has been one of the reasons for the deteriorating level of learning English in the Foundation Program at the University and the underachievement of the students in the academic programs in the colleges.
• They canceled the teaching of English grammar to reduce the number of books to be bought in the Program and reduce the number of teaching hours and, ultimately, the number of teachers in the hope of making illegitimate profits and appeasing the investors at the expense of quality education.
• The maximum class size in the original Foundation Program must be no more than 20 students by national and international standards. But these two wrestlers have increased the size of the class to more than 35 or even more than 40 making the program a real joke --a mere waste of time and money.

·???????? Instead of 15-20 students in the classroom, you find now 40 or 50 or even 60 students! Instead of spacious classrooms, you find tiny and cramped classes where the students cannot even move, let alone engage in any classroom activity. Instead of new prints of textbooks and activity books, you find used and torn-out books that are useless for teaching and learning. These used and useless books are distributed to the students and retrieved from them at the end of each semester and each year, although this has no educational value and is completely illegal.

• All the international requirements and benchmarks have been canceled now. The benchmarks are now “absolute zero”: no TOEFL, no IELTS, no Cambridge Certificate – nothing at all! What is the worth of a program or a degree without any international benchmarks?
• The seven final exams each of two-hour duration covering the English language skills and components have been replaced by one exam only examining students very superficially, and in a very trivial way, on some aspects of the English language with no clear plan or strategy.

·???????? So what has been left of the original Foundation Program? Nothing at all -- just garbage! The Program is now in shambles; it has no beginning and no end and has no educational goals or strategies. The aim is now just to make the students pass this “garbage thing” to satisfy the requirement imposed by the Ministry of Higher Education that all students should pass the Foundation Program before registering for their academic studies. The Placement Test is now controlled by corrupt managers who cancel it for anyone who is prepared to pay bribes.

For more details, read my article: " From Hero to Zero: From a Foundation Program to a Garbage Program" (LinkedIn December 23, 2017).

Fake Study Programs

Degrees and certificates are only?pieces of paper if they are not backed up with genuine knowledge and deep?academic background. Academic?Programs are to be robust programs following international benchmarks and standards. There should be strict procedures to ensure the quality of?these programs in reality not only on paper or fake documents.?

Most of the academic programs at A'Sharqiyah University are fake and useless. They do not conform to their original design and contents. They have been subjected drastically to changes made by Abood al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri without the approval of the Ministry of Higher Education and relevant educational authorities.

University Academic programs are to run as per robust academic plans approved by the Ministry of Higher Education. They must not be?arbitrarily?changed for the sake of reducing costs. The credit-hour system should also be respected and maintained. It must not be changed into an annual system?in a chaotic way?as?Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri have done. They have increased the credit hours for each course to four instead of three just to reduce the number of teachers and courses and thus reduce costs. A’Sharqiyah University is the only higher education institution that follows this arbitrary four-hour credit system that puts the student at a very serious disadvantage compared with the graduates of other universities in Oman. Their level of achievement will certainly be far below the national standards. This is unsustainable in the long run and will very negatively affect the academic reputation of A’Sharqiyah University. But Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri do not really care about the reputation of the University; they care only about the money that fills their own pockets.

Pirated Teaching Handouts

Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri canceled the use of books and references for teaching in all college programs and gave awkward instructions to the teachers to use “handouts” instead of books and references. These are tiny handouts made up of a few pages that students are asked to have photocopied from the original books and references at their own expense. The students are compelled to pay for all the photocopied materials used in teaching and assignments; otherwise, they will not be allowed to attend their lectures.?These?tiny handouts represent an awkward and outdated style of teaching that does not fit modern academic requirements. They are also illegal as per the International Copyright Laws. They are photocopied without legal permission from their original writers or publishers.

It is no surprise that the vast majority of the male graduates of A'Sharqiyah University work now as “taxi drivers” or farm laborers and the female graduates as “housewives”! The rosy future the top and senior managers promised them upon joining the University has always been a big, nasty lie.

Cheating in Tests and Exams

It is very damaging that the infrastructure for testing is inadequate or non-existent at A'Sharqiyah University as most of the buildings have been designed for teaching (not testing) or as a luxury hotel for top executives and managers. The buildings of the University have been designed to offer maximum comfort and luxury to the top executives, managers, and administrative staff as if they were building a 5-star hotel for top officials instead of an academic campus. You can hardly find spacious exam rooms where you can arrange the seating of students at a distance and in such a way as to prevent cheating in tests and exams. So teachers have no alternative but to arrange the tests and exams in the same classrooms they are assigned for teaching. The timetables themselves do not allow the teachers to seek support from other teachers in proctoring or marking. Most teachers feel very unhappy and uncomfortable conducting tests and exams for their students, especially when these students are difficult to control in normal teaching sessions.

Forgery of Grades

It was not a great shock to me to find out that Abood Al-Sawafi had forged his son’s (Salim Al-Sawafi’s) grades and placed him on the Advanced level of the Foundation Program instead of the Intermediate level because I knew that Abood Al-Sawafi has always been, and will always be, a rogue and corrupt person. He has always forged students’ grades and documents wherever he takes up a senior position which enables him to do so in any college or a university in Oman.

Overloaded Teachers

There is another very damaging aspect to teaching, testing, and education at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman. Most, if not all, the teachers are overloaded with teaching hours and proctoring duties. The teaching load of teachers in the Language Center and most colleges and universities ranges between 20 to 30 active teaching hours. This is practically an enormous burden of teaching leading to exhaustion, stress, depression, and even mental disorders. Then after all these very negative aspects in the teaching and learning situations, you find reckless, incompetent, and stupid senior managers place the blame on the teacher if there is a high rate of failures in tests or exams. Teachers are almost always used as scapegoats at A'Sharqiyah University.

Disrespect of Specialization

A'Sharqiyah University in Oman started in 2010 with this strategy in mind. The first Vice-Chancellor was a very well-known professor and academic from Jordan. He had a very rich experience in many respected universities and held many academic and educational positions, one of them the Minister of Education in Jordan.

A'Sharqiyah University started very well with this academic and highly respected professor and former Minister of Education. I started my career at A'Sharqiyah University as an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and TESOL and then as the Director of the Center for Language and Foundation Studies (CLFS), the Language Center and Foundation Program.

All the teachers and professors were Ph.D. and M.A/ M.Sc. from reputed universities and institutions from different parts of the world with academic specializations appropriate for the academic programs of the University in both teaching and research.

But, unfortunately, a disaster happened after three years when our academic and highly respected professor was replaced by Abood Al-Sawafi who is an "intelligence officer" with no academic specialization. He claims to have a Ph.D. in Engineering but he has never taught any engineering course nor has he done any research, published or unpublished, in engineering. He spent most of his career as an office worker in the Ministry of Information in Oman and then as a failed, stupid, and incompetent manager in some private colleges in Oman.

Abood Al-Sawafi hates specializations and specialized people in a very strange way. This is a sharp indicator that this man has nothing to do with knowledge or science or the academic world.

Sexual Harassment

It has been common knowledge at A'Sharqiyah University that some teachers and top managers like Hamed Al-Hajri and Mohammed Al-Barashdi lead "groups" or "gangs" of students to leak tests and exams, forge students' grades, or inflate them in return for money and sex. Tests and exams, unless strictly managed and controlled, have become a source of corruption in education and a source of trouble and conflict between the students and the teachers.

Hamed Al-Hajri, Mohammed Al-Barashdi, and other senior managers and top executives at A'Sharqiyah University have always ignored students' complaints and grievances and have always trivially dealt with them. This is a very dangerous approach. The majority of university students are mature people and they come to the university to learn, educate themselves, and get degrees and certificates which are worth the trouble and find them a job and a place in society. They do not come to be cheated and deceived or mistreated by some bad teachers. To deal with their complaints in a trivial way or reject them out of hand because of the mistaken belief that “students tell lies” is completely unacceptable. Students do need people to listen to them, understand them, and solve their problems with understanding and compassion.?This uncaring approach is used when those in charge of student affairs are weak and uncaring and they themselves are trivial and hypocrites. They try their best to appease the university administration to keep their jobs at the expense of the students. They do not care about the academic aspects of the study programs and they focus their efforts on only some social activities as if the university is a social club, not a place of learning with serious academic tasks. Such people deserve to work in a wholesale market rather than lead the student affairs department at a university.

Directors, Trustees: Indian Monkeys

They do not hear. They do not see. They do not read. They are real Indian monkeys. The Board of Directors and Board of Trustees bear the official, academic, and moral responsibility for appointing idiots and incompetent, stupid people as senior managers at A'Sharqiyah University.? These idiots do not fit to manage and lead a higher, or lower, educational institution.

When you talk to them, you feel they are superficial and unqualified managers who do not anything about their jobs nor do they possess the slightest knowledge about academic programs and academic issues. They are incapable of formulating any problem-solving strategies or policies. They are ignorant, vulgar, and rotten in mentality, and uncivilized in behavior.

We always say, “The students of today are the leaders of tomorrow”.?One of our basic jobs is to meet with the students, listen to their complaints and solve them, look into their demands, and meet them objectively and educationally. Regrettably, this does not happen now at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman and in many universities and colleges leaving students frustrated and extremely worried about their academic studies and future.

“Don’t Assume. Always Check”?is a slogan always employed by successful companies, especially oil companies all over the world. It is one of the most basic principles in management and oil operations and one of the most well-known doctrines in training oil professionals and engineers including mud engineers. It is also a basic principle in management science. Whatever the level of management, managers are always told and trained to stick to this principle to avoid pitfalls, problems, and troubles. They should not assume that something is correct or accurate unless they have made sure that it is actually correct and accurate on the ground and in the field exactly as it is reported or mentioned. It should not be taken for granted as real. correct, or accurate without checking. This applies to the line managers whatever the size of their unit of management as it applies to top managers like a Board of Trustees.

This principle of?“Don’t Assume. Always Check”?has always been the basis for many good practices in schools, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions, especially in testing. Students’ marks and grades in test and exam papers are subjected to checking by teachers, co-teachers, exam committees, directors, and moderators before they are verified and accepted as final results. In writing tests and exams, students’ papers are graded by at least two examiners to check the accuracy of marking and achieve a satisfactory degree of objectivity.

Regrettably, the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees at A’Sharqiyah University in Oman have failed miserably in their governance and management because they have ignored the principle of?“Don’t Assume. Always Check”?and have mistakenly assumed that the information and reports submitted to them by Abood Al-Sawafi (former VC), Hamed Al-Hajri (Assistant VC), Mohammed Al-Barashdi, the HR Director, and the Director of the Audit Unit are correct and accurate whereas the fact is that this information and these reports have always been false, incorrect, inaccurate, and fabricated. These senior managers of A'Sharqiyah University have always been corrupt, incompetent, and dishonest. They have always hidden numerous cases of conflict of interest and corruption for their personal gains at the expense of the genuine interests of the University as a higher education provider. Both the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees have proved themselves as idiots and fools and corrupt as well. "Birds of a feather flock together." They are no more than a bunch of Indian monkeys doing monkey business.

For more information and details, read the following two articles:

1.???? "Senior Management Upside Down: Stupidity, Incompetence, Recklessness…!!" (LinkedIn, July 1, 2019)

2.???? “Don’t Assume. Always Check.”: A Board of Trustees or A Board of Monkeys?" (LinkedIn, May 29, 2021)

3.???? " Corruption Models in Higher Education: Abood Al-Sawafi as a Nasty Example" (LinkedIn, June 16, 2020)

Conflict of Interest: A Blatant Case

What happened at A'Sharqiyah University in May 2024 was a blatant case of conflict of interest created by the idiots of the top administration of the University, especially Hamed Al-Hajri and Mohammed Al-Barashdi who have always been corrupt, incompetent, selfish, and stupid and have always conspired against the academic values and integrity of academic work in higher education in Oman.

A corrupt judge from the Ibra Court in Oman was awarded the degree of M.A. of Law by A'Sharqiyah University in return for his good service of corruption and conflicts of interest as the University has exploited this corrupt judge to preside over the cases of a number of A'Sharqiyah University's employees against the University. This corrupt judge has always ruled in favor of A'Sharqiyah University proving beyond doubt that he is corrupt, selfish, and is not fit to work in a court of law or any public service office in Oman or elsewhere.

The Judge in the case was an MA student studying Private Law. ASU is offering teaching positions to expected master's degree graduates in exchange for personal favors. This brainless judge overruled 5 cases relating to A'Sharqiyah University. So we might see this filthy judge as an instructor next year.

?During all cases, Al Barashdi was so confident of himself to the point he was gathering all his weasel buddies and telling them that the university would win the cases… even before any verdict was given.

I have already written about this corrupt judge and have given some information about him and about this potential case of conflict of interest. Now it has actually happened as we have predicted while the officials of the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman are fast asleep in their ivory towers putting the integrity and work ethics of higher education in Oman at great risk.

I would like here to offer some brief background information about this blatant case of conflict of interest and corruption knowing fully that the Ibra Court is one of the most corrupt courts in Oman and the world.

"Several Omani employees at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman filed a lawsuit against A'Sharqiyah University because the University represented by Mohammed Al-Barashdi and Hamed Al-Hajri has refused to give them their employment rights and dues. Many of these employees have been denied their annual salary rise and promotion in violation of the University's Charter, regulations, and bylaws. These employees have also been subjected to very bad treatment by Mohammed Al-Barashdi, Hamed Al-Hajri, the VC of the University, Fouad Chedid, the Director of the HR Department, Salim Al-Harthi who have not taken any measures to elevate the suffering and miserable treatment of these employees. As always, these top executives have behaved in a very cowardly, corrupt, and unprofessional manner.

The most miserable aspect of the case is the conspiracy forged by these top managers against these hard-working, poor employees who cannot afford one meal a day for themselves or their families. Mohammed Al-Barashdi and Hamed Al-Hajri conspired with the lawyer of A'Sharqiyah University to pick up a corrupt judge in Ibra court for the case. This corrupt judge is also an MA student at A'Sharqiyah University. There is a very gross violation of the simplest and most basic procedures of justice in any court of law, anywhere in the world. The Judge should not be biased against any party in the case and there should not be any "Conflict of Interest" on the part of the Judge. Since the Judge is an MA student at A'Sharqiyah University, he is therefore unqualified to look into this case. As if this is not enough, Mohammed Al-Barashdi conspired with this corrupt judge to appoint his cousin to be the Secretary of the Court in the case.

Who Is the Corrupt Judge? Who Is the Corrupt Secretary?

The following are the Registration details of the corrupt judge:

Student Number: 2213825

Student Name: Khalid bin Hilal bin Suleiman Al-Balhsni

Civil Register: 10646257

Level: Master Year 1

College: College of Law

Major (Specialization): Master of Private Law

Accumulated Average: 3.7

Telephone: 92112212- 92112212

The Corrupt Secretary is named Mohammed bin Humood bin Humeid Al-Barashdi who is the cousin of Mohammed Al-Barashdi, the Small Pixie and the Director of the Student Affairs Department at A'Sharqiyah University against whom the Omani employees have filed the law case.

This is a straightforward case of Conflict of Interest and miscarriage of justice. We strongly condemn A'Sharqiyah University, Mohammed Al-Barashdi, Hamed Al-Hajri, and the Court of Ibra for their corruption and dishonesty.

For more information, details, and insights, you may refer to my article: " "Is There Justice in Oman? Corruption in the Oman Justice System (Part Two) (LinkedIn, January 15, 2024).

Implications for Higher Education Institutions

Conflicts of interest?are clashes that most often occur between self-interests and the requirements of integrity and honesty. Various types of conflicts of interest can occur because of the nature of relationships versus rules of organizations or anti-corruption policies and laws. People can easily become biased (have an unfair preference) because of small things like friendship, food, or flattery, or they may be influenced to make a decision because of the potential to gain power, prestige, or money. Conflicts can occur when a person makes or influences a decision and does so for some personal gain that may be unfair, unethical, or even illegal. (24)

Higher education is a lucrative business all over the globe. But, as with any business, there are rogue senior managers, Boards of Directors, and Boards of Trustees who have no moral values or work ethics. All they are after is making huge profits at the expense of students, their families, and the society at large This is why we need to stand up and expose these wicked, dishonest, and selfish managers.

Higher education is one of the most important public priorities for any modern-day nation. It is regarded as the guardian of national culture and the main factor in economic growth and an indispensable engine for the realization of the public and individual aspirations. It cannot be left for greedy, incompetent, and vulgar senior managers and top executives like Abood Al-Sawafi, Hamed Al-Hajri, and Mohammed Al-Barashdi to make arbitrary decisions and messy plans for the sole purpose of making profits at the expense of the future of our students.

It is generally observed that corruption and the absence of justice can be done by some people who are entrusted with the senior management of the business or institution but they are not worthy of this trust. As we know, corruption can be reduced, avoided or eliminated if we take care of two important things: the systems and the people who operate these systems. The systems must be effective and the people who operate them must be honest and efficient. If one of these two things is missing, then we should expect deception and corruption. This is why we have scandals and persistent corruption in businesses and higher education institutions. There should be rigorous systems and mechanisms to regulate operations and report corruption to higher educational ministries and authorities.

After I had worked in many colleges and universities in different countries, some of them in developing countries, I can say now, with great bitterness, that when we come down to the higher education sector, we find, regrettably, that in many cases things are upside down and they are going from bad to worse to an unbelievable degree. Facilities for excellence in teaching and research are non-existent and if they exist, they are of poor quality. Many teachers, staff members, and senior managers, like Abood Al-Sawafi, Hamed Al-Hajri, and Mohammed Al-Barashdi at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman, are recruited through personal relationships called in the Middle East “Wasttah” meaning that somebody has intervened illegally for their appointments even if they do not have the qualifications for the job. You find out, to your astonishment, that the senior managers “are the guidelines” for everything and they are always “above the law”. They are given a blank check to represent the college and the university even if they are completely wrong and against the official educational policy and are destroying the institution. It does not matter as long as they are able to persuade the “investors” that what they do will make profits, which is completely untrue. They themselves know and we all know that any higher education institution that does not have a good academic reputation can never make profits in the long run and will certainly go, one day, down the drain!

What makes things worse, many investors have nothing to do with higher education. They do not possess the slightest information about how a higher education institution is to be run and conduct business. They are ignorant though wealthy. They have spent their lives as owners of factories that produce cement and bricks; they have never been involved in educating and “producing” human beings. This is why many unqualified, incompetent, and corrupt senior managers are able to, illegally, creep into higher education institutions to live like parasites.

The education, experience, and abilities of an employee have an economic value for the organization and for the economy as a whole. Intellectual and human capital are treated as renewable sources of productivity. Organizations try to cultivate these sources, hoping for added innovation or creativity. Sometimes, a business problem requires more than just new machines or more money. Human capital is portable. It is always owned by the employee, never the employer. Unlike structural capital equipment, human employees can leave the business and the organization. This is why most businesses and organizations take steps to support their most useful and faithful employees to encourage them to stay on the job. Unfortunately, A'Sharqiyah University in Oman does the opposite.

Managing people in businesses and organizations should focus on the crucial role people play in the success of the organizations as the main source of competitive advantage. This applies to higher education as it applies to other sectors. Colleges and universities should not be allowed to be “converted” illegally by incompetent and corrupt senior managers to wholesale markets or hypermarkets with the main goal of making profits at the expense of the students, quality education, and society.

Internal auditing has been long recognized as a key factor in the survival and success of companies, corporations, higher education institutions, and other types of organizations. In general terms, internal auditing is a continuous process of evaluating the organization’s management of risk in order to avoid problems and crises when malpractices and mismanagement continue in the absence of proper audits. ?

The role of the internal auditor is thus to look beyond financial statements and financial-related auditing into all the areas that constitute risks to the organization’s existence such as its reputation, supplier chains, health and safety risks, human resources, information technology, facilities management, customer service, and program management. For example, there will be a very high risk when the organization treats its customers unfairly or the management resorts to deceiving the customers in order to make profits without any consideration for professional honesty and the international code of work ethics.

The internal auditor thus needs to be an independent, unbiased, and objective assessor who should not be under the influence of the senior management in the organization even though he is an employee of the organization itself. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. The internal auditor may be under the influence of some senior managers who control him and dictate to him how to fabricate the reports to conceal their fraud or corruption. This is especially true when the internal auditor is an expatriate employee who puts his own personal interests and the renewal of his work contract above the genuine interests of the company or the institution. This may result in grave consequences and may lead to the total collapse of the organization.?

Higher education institutions, companies, and other organizations can help internal auditing achieve objectivity and independence by employing auditors who do not serve in any other capacity within the organization. The internal auditor should be independent and report to a special committee within the Board of Directors or Board of Trustees and should not report to an executive senior manager like the company’s managing director or the university’s Vice-Chancellor or Assistant Vice Chancellor who may be involved in irregularities, fraud, theft or corruption and want the internal auditors to write dishonest fabricated reports as has always been the case at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman.

To be effective, the internal auditor must be qualified, skilled, and experienced and is prepared to work in accordance with the genuine interests of the organization, the Code of Ethics, and the International Standards of Internal Auditing.

Corruption does not exist in a vacuum. It is usually committed by senior managers who cheat the systems of control and supervision and do not respect any laws or regulations. They are usually entrusted with a range of executive powers but they always betray this trust and go beyond these powers for selfish and wicked purposes.

Giving too much power to one person in any situation cannot be described other than absolute dictatorship. And if we realize that human beings are fallible and fall to temptations of different sorts, then we should expect blunders and inefficient management. Managers, directors, and other decision-makers need to be checked, observed, and supervised by independent entities and officials. They should not be left to manage the businesses or institutions according to their whims, self-interests, and personal relationships.

Fighting sexual harassment is a necessity and a great challenge everywhere and in all sorts of organizations, especially in educational institutions where we do not find any mechanism or system to help the victims speak up without having to pay a very heavy price. Regrettably, this applies to many higher education institutions where some female students all over the world may be subjected to sexual harassment or sexual exploitation by some pervert and sick teachers and managers who trade “sex for grades”, “sex for exams” and “sex for favors” as has been the case at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman for many years.

Senior managers in higher education institutions and other organizations are responsible for ensuring that conflicts of interest are effectively managed. The organization head must also monitor compliance with the organization's policy for disclosing and managing conflicts of interest to meet the requirements of integrity and honesty.

Generally, disclosures of conflicts of interest will be held with the employee's personnel records. Where a disclosure is made for a certain decision it is appropriate to include a copy in the file relating to the decision.

Where a conflict of interest, real or apparent, arises it will need to be managed. Appropriate management actions may include withdrawing from particular discussions, restricting the flow of information, abstaining from decisions, reassignment of duties, or relinquishing the interest or the position.

Acceptance of a gift or benefit that is connected with an employee's employment can create a real or apparent conflict of interest that should be avoided. At the extreme, it could be perceived as a bribe. Accepting a bribe is an offense under the law.

It is not possible to establish definitive rules about accepting gifts or benefits, as the appropriate course of action will depend on the circumstances of the offer and the roles and responsibilities of the employee and the institution.

Conclusions

A conflict of interest occurs if, within a particular decision-making context, an individual is subject to two coexisting interests that are in direct conflict with each other. Such a matter is of importance because under such circumstances the decision-making process can be disrupted or compromised in a manner that affects the integrity and the reliability of the outcomes. A conflict of interest occurs when an individual’s personal interests – family, friendships, financial, or social factors – could compromise his or her judgment, decisions, or actions in the workplace. Government agencies take conflicts of interest so seriously that they are regulated. Industry organizations, corporations, universities, and other organizations include conflicts of interest in their policies, regulations, and standards of operating procedures.

Internal auditing has long been recognized as a key factor in the survival and success of companies, corporations, higher education institutions, and other types of organizations. In general terms, internal auditing is a continuous process of evaluating the organization’s management of risk in order to avoid problems and crises when malpractices and mismanagement continue in the absence of proper audits. ?

The role of the internal auditor is thus to look beyond financial statements and financial-related auditing into all the areas that constitute risks to the organization’s existence such as its reputation, supplier chains, health and safety risks, human resources, information technology, facilities management, customer service, and program management. For example, there will be a very high risk when the organization treats its customers unfairly or the management resorts to deceiving the customers in order to make profits without any consideration for professional honesty and the international code of work ethics.

The internal auditor thus needs to be an independent, unbiased, and objective assessor who should not be under the influence of the senior management in the organization even though he is an employee of the organization itself. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. The internal auditor may be under the influence of some senior managers who control him and dictate to him how to fabricate the reports to conceal their fraud or corruption. This is especially true when the internal auditor is an expatriate employee who puts his own personal interests and the renewal of his work contract above the genuine interests of the company or the institution. This may result in grave consequences and may lead to the total collapse of the organization.?

Companies and other organizations can help internal auditing achieve objectivity and independence by employing auditors who do not serve in any other capacity within the organization. The internal auditor should report to a special committee within the Board of Directors or Board of Trustees and should not report to an executive senior manager like the company’s managing director or the university’s Vice-Chancellor or Assistant Vice Chancellor who may be involved in irregularities, fraud, theft or corruption and want the internal auditors to write dishonest fabricated reports.?

Hamed al-Hajri is the instigator and planner of all the conflicts of interest and corruption practices at A'Sharqiyah University as he controls the two important functions of finance and administration.

Hamed Al-Hajri has been given powers far beyond those normally associated with the job to which he has been assigned. He can do whatever he likes and can “steal money” in different ways from the organization without being held accountable to anyone.

What happened at A'Sharqiyah University in May 2024 was a blatant case of conflict of interest created by the idiots of the top administration of the University, especially Hamed Al-Hajri and Mohammed Al-Barashdi who have always been corrupt, incompetent, selfish, and stupid and have always conspired against the academic values and integrity of academic work in higher education in Oman.

The reputation of A’Sharqiyah University has been going down the drain and the students, their parents, and the community at large have come to know a great deal about what has been happening. It makes you feel very sad to come to know that the students are paying a very heavy price for the incompetence, bad management, and corruption of most senior managers and top executives of A'Sharqiyah University in Oman.

Employees are required to disclose any conflict of interest as it arises. Higher Education institutions are advised to ensure that their system for registering and monitoring these disclosures brings to the attention of the relevant committees any conflict of interest.

Hamed Al-Hajri and Mohammed Al-Barashdi are the worst possible cases of ignorant, incompetent, and unqualified senior managers you can ever find running a business or a university. Abood Al-Sawafi has been forced to resign because of his fake degrees, blunders, incompetence, conflicts of interest, and corruption. We hope Hamed Al-Hajri, Mohammed Al-Barashdi, and other corrupt senior managers will also be forced to resign to save A’Sharqiyah University, the future of its students, and the academic reputation of Higher Education in Oman. There is no shortcut to fighting corruption.?

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