Why Did Al-Jazeera Smash the Mirror of Journalism? Stupidity or an Error of Judgment?

“If you take the wrong train, try to get off at the first station. The more distance you travel, the higher the cost you pay in order to return.” -- Fyodor Dostoevsky

In spite of too many restraints and restrictions on the geopolitical environment, Al-Jazeera Media Network has proved itself as an important international source of news, information, education, and entertainment, especially in the Middle East, since its inception on 1 November 1996; more than 24 years ago. Al Jazeera has also gained respect and a reasonable degree of credibility in spite of some criticisms against the Network for a variety of reasons, which are not our concern here in this article.

Al-Jazeera has offered its audience very interesting programs during the 24 years of its existence; particularly, in Arabic and English, and has always been present in international affairs. But there is a very heavy emphasis on political affairs, which I personally do not like. I have always had my skepticism about politics in the world. This is one of the dirtiest fields that have been destroying humanity everywhere. This emphasis of Al-Jazeera on politics and political arguments and debates has brought it too many enemies, accusations, and “illegitimate calls” from some narrow-minded people to close the Network, inside and outside of the Arab world.

Al-Jazeera Arabic used to offer a nice and interesting program called “The Mirror of Journalism”. It used to last for half an hour and consisted of many items: summarizing and reading some articles, mostly from international newspapers, journals, and magazines, in different languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian. The articles used to have a wide coverage: politics, economics, climate change, human rights, development, investment, and others. A single edition of the program may not cover all of them, but these are the main areas of the program in general. There used to be interviews and conversations with journalists and writers from different countries with a special emphasis on the Arab world. There also used to be a brief summary of headings and articles from newspapers and magazines, especially from the Middle Eastern countries. There is naturally a degree of subjectivity in the selections of these articles as Al-Jazeera itself is not fully an independent network like the BBC and the CNN, as it was founded and has been funded by the government of Qatar. This is the case with most major media networks in the Middle East as they were launched and are funded by governments in their respective countries. Nevertheless, there is a degree of independence, though very limited, with the Al-Jazeera Network coverage of news and issues.

In spite of all its limitations, the Program “The Mirror of Journalism” was, in Arab Media Standards, a good program and was worth watching. But all of a sudden, it was drastically and miserably changed and distorted. All the items were deleted except the reading of excerpts from some articles, now mostly from British and American newspapers and magazines. The time of the program has been recklessly reduced from half an hour to only ten minutes, and sometimes less than that. The program consists now of only this reading of brief excerpts and because the presenters have now only ten minutes allocated to the program, they present their reading rather fast as if they were being chased by police officers!

Al-Jazeera Arabic has not given a reason nor has it explained why it has “smashed” the Mirror of Journalism in this miserable way. They still call the “program” by the same name “Mirror of Journalism” but in fact, it has nothing to do with the original program!

I personally find the changes unprofessional and very unacceptable. It is an insult to the intelligence of Al-Jazeera viewers, especially that the program used to offer a very informative window to the Arab viewers most of whom do not have access to international newspapers, magazines, and writers due to the severe limitations on language and availability of resources. After smashing the program, Al Jazeera Arabic still calls it by the same name, “The Mirror of Journalism” although the core elements of the program have been deleted!

I would like here to add a few important points about some programs presented, or not presented, by Al-Jazeera Arabic, an aspect that defies logic and runs against the normal practice of most, if not all, regional and international media networks.

The first point is related to the absence of any program, whatsoever, about business and economic issues and affairs of the Middle East, in particular, and the world in general although these are of paramount importance to most viewers and are given special attention by every major or minor media network. Instead of such a program, there is only a very brief item dealing with very brief economic news presented within the midday bulletin of general news. The item runs for five minutes only! Imagine that! Just a five-minute item for the economic issues, problems, challenges, developments, and investments in the business world!

The second point concerns some “trivial” programs that Al-Jazeera Arabic offers and makes a lot of noise about although I personally do not find any informative or educational values in these programs. There are many such programs but I would like here to mention two of them: “Race of News”, and “Intelligent Life”.

The first program is really a trivial program and has no informative or educational value for the viewers. The program deals with what the viewers, according to a very limited survey conducted by Al-Jazeera or the team of the program, think about some issues, mostly “political”, or events that have recently happened or will happen in the region or in the world. Al-Jazeera Arabic forgets or seems to forget, that there are thousands and thousands of ideologies, political persuasions, interests, and points of view in the Middle East and the world. What is important for some viewers may not be important for others. A very limited survey may reveal what some viewers think but does not reflect the points of view of other viewers. Surveys, and even opinion polls, are very misleading, especially when they are very limited. The results are distorted, unreliable, and cannot be used for any planning or decision-making.

The second program “Intelligent Life” is another trivial program presented by Al-Jazeera Arabic and does not add any real value to the lives of Al-Jazeera Arabic viewers, especially in the Middle East where most of the people are struggling now just to survive and find food to eat and water to drink. This trivial program presents to us what some stupid “inventors and creators” come up with or what some companies manufacture to “improve our lives and change our lifestyles for the better”! But in fact, these “new inventions” are destroying our lives, destroying our environment, and destroying humanity everywhere; such as a robot that makes coffee for us or offers us a meal at a restaurant or at home; a robot that comforts us when we are worried or unhappy; a flying taxi that takes us to our destination very fast; a super speed train that travels faster than the sound but does not allow us to enjoy the landscape while we are traveling by train. These and other “stupid” so-called inventions of evil capitalism that aim to accumulate profits at the expense of the jobs and lives of human beings are being highlighted by the program “Intelligent Life” presented by Al-Jazeera Arabic at the expense of other useful programs like “The Mirror of Journalism”.

I hate to see anyone in authority, whether in business, journalism, politics, higher education, or elsewhere, trying to smash a successful program just to make a profit at the expense of quality. I still remember what Abood Al-Sawafi (former VC) and Hamed Al-Hajri (Assistant VC) did at A’Sharqiyah University some time ago. These two corrupt and stupid top managers, who were appointed by mistake, took a number of measures to destroy not only the General Foundation Program (GFP) but all the successful programs at A’Sharqiyah University without being held to account by anyone. I have already talked about these destructive measures several times before but let me say something very brief about them here.

Almost all the University teachers who have PhDs from English-Speaking countries have been replaced by inexperienced teachers who have a local M.A. or M.Sc. in order to cut down on the salaries just like a woodcutter or a fishmonger would do to get more money! Most programs and courses are illegally taught now in Arabic, not in English: B.A. in Law, B.A. in Business, B.A. in Archive and Documentation, B.A. in Arts and Humanities, and Master of Business Administration (MBA). The irony is that these two corrupt managers claim to be offering higher education of an international standard and they want the University to be one of the best higher education providers in the world!

What is really sad and disturbing is the current situation of the General-Foundation Program (GFP) at the University. This Program was one of the most successful programs in the University and the country. 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. All newly-registered students of the University have to take a Placement Test to be administered in the Orientation (Induction) week of the first semester and the second semester. Students?will then be assigned to groups in accordance with their level of performance in the Placement Test and have to follow a prescribed program of study that will lead to the exit certificates: a score of?500 in the TOEFL Paper Test or a score of 61 in the TOEFL iBT or band 5 in the IELTS Test; Basic Mathematics at a minimum final average of 70% together with either Pure Mathematics or Applied Mathematics depending on the academic specializations and the sort of college the students will join after their exit from the Foundation Program; and the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) certificate or IC3 or its equivalent.

The Foundation Program is intended to intensively prepare the students for university and college studies by developing their English skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in addition to general and academic study skills. Grammar and vocabulary are regarded as two language components built-in all language skills and can be acquired indirectly through the exposure and learning of these skills. There will be many opportunities and activities to deal with these components by teachers and students. However, due to its importance for language acquisition in general and for the TOEFL Test in particular, grammar is to be taught systematically in separate courses at all levels of the General Foundation Program.

In the Mathematics Component, students will study Basic Mathematics and Pure or Applied Mathematics depending upon the students’ academic specializations. For the Computing and IT Component, students are required to study and pass the seven modules of the ICDL certificate or its equivalent.

All the teaching materials (textbooks, workbooks, CDs, etc.) have been carefully selected to help achieve the goals of the Foundation Program and meet the students’ general and academic needs. These materials are published by some of the best international publishers who take education very seriously and put it before profit such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Longman. They are beautifully designed and written according to rigorous academic standards and the needs of international students. There are eight textbooks for each level and a lot of interactive exercises for learning and reinforcing English language skills, vocabulary, and structures in life-like contexts and situations. There is a textbook for each language skill and component: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Grammar, and Study Skill. There is also an Integrative Textbook to combine and summarize the skills and components in a very effective way so that there will be language and academic compensation among the skills and components so that if there is a shortage of exposure or teaching happened, for various reasons, the other textbooks and teachers will compensate for the shortage. The Program worked very well, the students were very happy, the results were excellent, and the reputation of the University was greatly enhanced.

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 the woodcutter VC and his camels’ breeder Assistant VC and 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. The woodcutter VC and his camels’ breeder Assistant VC have been refusing to buy new textbooks for the Foundation Program students in spite of the fact that they receive the costs of the books from the Ministry of Higher Education and from 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 in 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 in accordance with the 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.
• 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 Academic Portfolio has been canceled and the mark for the Final Exam has been reduced from 50% of the total assessment to 40% in violation of the Ministerial regulations which stipulate that the final exam mark in the Foundation Program should be 50% of the total mark. 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. The International benchmarks of TOEFL and IELTS, as we have said, have been canceled and so have been The ICDL and the IC3. The number of teaching hours has also been reduced from 24 hours per week (level 1) and 20 hours per week (level 2 and 3) to 18 hours per week for all levels. This has negatively affected the amount of exposure to the English language in the classroom and has sharply contributed to the appalling failure of the Foundation Program in achieving its objectives.
• The Academic Year all over the world consists of two academic semesters: Fall Semester and Spring Semester or Semester 1 and Semester 2; each lasts for 16 weeks. There is also a short Summer Session of 8 weeks. As per the regulations and directives of the Ministry of Higher Education, the students need to study double the number of hours in order for the Summer Session to be academically equivalent to Semester 1 and Semester 2. Since the study load in the Foundation Program for Semester 1 and 2 is 20-24 hours per week as we have mentioned, the duration of the Summer Session for 8 weeks can never be sufficient to teach the Foundation Program as students cannot study 40-44 hours per week according to the regulations of the Ministry of Higher Education. This is why colleges and universities do not teach the Foundation Program in the Summer Session except in this university where the woodcutter VC has made an awkward and illegal decision of teaching a tiny fraction of the Foundation Program in the summer. He is thus cheating the students because he is teaching only a tiny fraction of the Program and he is also cheating the Ministry of Higher Education for charging them the full tuition fees for a full semester whereas he is offering a very short and distorted version of the Program. He is also cheating the teachers of the Foundation Program because he is not paying them the Summer Allowance as per the directives of the Ministry of Higher Education and the regulations of the University itself.
• A little man with a zero-experience in running a language center or a foundation program was appointed as the New Director of the Language Center and Foundation Program after the position was left vacant for almost two years. As per the requirements of the job advertised by the University itself, the Director should have a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics or TESOL and should have at least five years’ experience in running a language center or a foundation program. The woodcutter VC appointed the little man based on his personal relationship with him without any regard to the academic and experience requirements of the job. This tells us very clearly that a person appointed to a senior position without having the right credentials and leadership qualities does not care or respect anything. The little man has been making a mess of everything in the Language Center and Foundation Program taking the Program from bad to worse!

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 Hamed Al-Hajri who cancels it for anyone as he wishes and forges the grades of the students.

It is no surprise that the vast majority of the male graduates of this University work now as “taxi drivers” and the female graduates as “housewives”! The rosy future the two wrestlers promised them on joining the University has always been a big lie.

Teachers, students, and their parents have been writing and complaining to everybody: to the Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Director-General of the Private Colleges and Universities, and all other relevant educational and accreditation authorities. Nobody takes the trouble to reply or investigate and nobody cares. Everything, including higher education, is for sale in return for a fistful of dollars!

In spite of all these destructive measures taken by Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri and endorsed by the corrupt Board of Directors and Board of Trustees at A’Sharqiyah University in Oman, they still use the same labels and names for the academic degrees, programs, courses, and entities: “B.SC in Engineering, Foundation Program, Academic Program, Academic Skills, Language Skills, Language Center, English Communication Skills” and so on. But in fact, after Abood Al-Sawafi and Hamed Al-Hajri had smashed these degrees, programs, courses, and entities and emptied them of their real substance and their original designs, out of stupidity and incompetence, the labels and names are no longer valid and they are misleading and deceptive.

I hate to see anyone smashing a successful program and cannot tolerate people using the same label or name after smashing everything. I must admit here this is a personal challenge that I cannot overcome.

It is regrettable to see the same situation happening with Al-Jazeera Network. After smashing the program “The Mirror of Journalism” presented by Al-Jazeera Arabic, Al- Jazeera Network still calls it by the same label or name, “The Mirror of Journalism” although the time and the core elements of the program have been miserably reduced as we have explained. This is a very unfortunate act of misleading and deception. The irony is that Al-Jazeera still wants us, the viewers, to watch the program and enjoy it and say nothing about the fact that it has been smashed in a reckless way. This is real stupidity and a grave error of judgment by the editors of Al-Jazeera Network.