Schools: Students worst nightmare

Schools:  Students worst nightmare

By Hanan Al Khanbashi

College of Arts and social sciences, Translation

It is believed that students should have their own voice in the education system. Don't you think that schools are killing students' creativity? Well, I am assured of that. It's just as simple as that, but it is painful to swallow and extremely hard to overcome.

Throughout the years, there have been attempts to develop education systems, not only in this part of the world but everywhere. Unfortunately, these attempts which are blindly implemented measures are no better than the previous ones. They are continuously ignoring the fact that education is an exchange between students and teachers.

It is true that I'm not an expert in education, but I was a student and so my voice counts. The tendency towards the students as being a recipient only, a yes-man, is still alive. Teaching pedagogies are killing creativity leaving students with no possible chance to 'Hows' and 'Whys.' I remember being a school kid. At that time, school was a kind of dictator looming over our heads. We had to pay orders, sleep at 8pm and wake up at 4am. I remember arriving school half asleep as school nightmares haunted me all night. This was also right for my friends back at school. We would sit there waiting for the ridiculously long morning assembly that would do nothing but cause us a headache. Nowadays, it is still valid. Students are given precise regulations to follow, including behaving and thinking guidelines. 

We have reached a point where education becomes as ideas that we are obliged to take but not novel ideas that we come up with. Students have lost their capacity of creation because they are imprisoned in a limited area of thinking. Consider a child sitting for a drawing test, and he\she colors a tree with yellow whereas it is supposed to be green. This is not going to be rated as a kind of creativity but rather as a big mistake indicating students' deficiency. What is wrong if the child look at the tree as yellow, he might be seeing something that we don't see.

Truth is to be told, students study, memorize and forget. Schools are spoon-feeding students preventing any possible kind of creativity. A teacher would be panic if he\she saw students coloring a triangle for instance outsides the lines. Why not to let your students explore the world around them; most importantly, let them speak their minds. Don't kill the child's curiosity by asking them to stop asking questions. It won't waste time from the mandatory syllabus. On the contrary, it might help adults to think critically about their questions too. The carrots and sticks ways should no longer be used. Don't teach them to think of the box but to think outside of the box.

Let Me Pursue The Path I Have Drawn

Let me pursue the path I have drawn

By Shamsa Al Saidi

College of Education, English

Is shattering a person's dream an easy matter? Do people who hinder fulfilling goals realize how horrible their actions are? People with disabilities will be put on the spotlight here; specifically, the visually impaired students at Sultan Qaboos University.

The extent of care towards visually impaired students is one angle reflecting how responsible and humane the society is. The more the society is heedful of them, the fairer it becomes. Moreover, when those students feel such affection and support, they will ignite their potential to prove that they need and deserve complete reliance on their abilities.

The bitter truth is that these students believe that they don’t get enough support at SQU. Space will not always to talk about them all; as a result, we have choosen two only: Muadh Al Ruqadi (severe weakness of view) and Reda Al Hadrami (unsighted).

To start with, Muadh is a sixth-year student who has transferred from College of         Engineering after studying at it three years. He has around 7 innovations and has gotten a patent for two of them. His vision was gradually becoming weak so he went to the University Administration to supply him with a laptop that suites his case. He waited one year and a half resulting in deteriorating his condition however they informed him that they won't provide him with it. "You must change your specialization and the only college that accepts you is the College of Arts," there words was as painful as a knife stabbing his heart. And so he did change.

The second case in point is Reda who is a first-year student. He explains that the equipment provided is insufficient. In their lab they only have one electronic Braille printer and it definitely doesn't cater their needs. He dazzles me when saying; ''We want to study all what sighted students study and we are up to the task.''

When asking them about the moral support, they asserted that not all people are the same. They have come across those who encourage them, and others who underestimate them. Regarding the material support, visually impaired students; Muadh clarifies, have been receiving support from the private sector and charitable people. Although there are still much to be done by the decision makers, it must be noted that the administration of the College of Arts is planning to open a bigger lab. That is a good foundation that SQU can build on to create even more opportunities for visually impaired students to achieve their dreams. 

We are not trying to accuse anyone, we just want to deliver a young ambitious voice to the society and make sure that his voice is heard. We know that the responsible people are doing their best, but we know that better things can always be done. 

The right path to success

The right path to success

Khulood Al Ghadani

College of Arts and social sciences, English

You will not dazzle a manager in a company, a head in a college of being a bright student as you'll explode their curiosity of being gifted in some extra curricular activities. Yes, they are looking for smart employees but the skillful ones are the ones whom will be picked. In fact, being active in extracurricular activities can be as beneficial as getting high grades. For instance, it will give you the opportunity to do your best and inspire others to do so. You will be a responsible person for your action. You will be ready to shine. Khulood Al Ghadani meets Mr. Ahmed Al Abdali, an English instructor at the language center at SQU, who is well known for his belief in extra curricular activities.

Mr. Ahmed explained that from his first day at the university, he made sure to take part in as many societies as possible. He stated, “In fact, I was the founders of the translation group which has become now was English and Translation Society.” Hence, he tried to strike a balance between his university work and the extracurricular activities. In his second year, he was able to publish some of his translation passages. In fact, his translation was seen by his Majesty, who has sent his thanks through the minister of national heritage. He didn’t stop there but he even translated a couple of books for the university.

Although he was good at extracurricular activities, he has never neglected his academic studies. He argued that GPA is very crucial for the community as it is like the first indication of a student's academic achievement. He says,“ however it may or may not give an indication of his personality. And that's why GPA and extra-activities especially the ones that are related to the field of the study have to go hand in hand.” They are both as important as one another. He concluded the interview by saying that students should integrate their “academic personality" in the class and then get into the world of activities.

Doctors’ smile always matter!

Doctors’ smile always matter!

By Malak Al Bahri

College of Education, English

Once we enter a restaurant for the first time and are welcomed with a warming smile, we will, instinctively, feel comfortable and view the restaurant as “good” before even knowing how “good” their food is. The simple but “golden” rule that “good customer service providers” follow is: “Feed [customers] a smile and they’ll be back for more,” as mentioned in an article published by Mercantile Systems.

The relationship between doctors and patients is akin to that between suppliers and customers. Like customers, patients need to be fed a smile. A smile could be even more important to patients than customers due to the stress illness causes. Undoubtedly, smiling brings about tranquility and delight for both, the one smiling and the one smiling back. Knowing this fact about smiling, I thought about two major questions: First, how often do we see doctors smile to patients in our government hospitals? Second, what could be officially done to make all doctors smile and thus having happy and motivated patients?

When asked the first question, Wafa Al Sinani, a student at SQU, and Manar Al Bohri, a student at MCBS said that according to their experiences, Omani doctors often smile. Justifying her opinion, Manar added, “doctors are sometimes stressed with the unorganized process of work, resulting in having a lot of patients waiting for their turn. Doctors will certainly be in a bad mood.” At the other extreme, Hajer Al- Manthari, a student at Caledonian College, says that she rarely sees doctors smiling.

The previous views indicate that Omani doctors’ smiles are sometimes absent although they studied its benefits for patients treatment. Adbullah Ahmed Al Ramadhani, a medical doctor, gave this reason: “Smiling is not learned but depends on the personality of a person.” It is true that some doctors are cheerful by nature while others are not. However, if we really want our hospitals to be “good customer-service providers,” our doctors should follow the “golden” rule mentioned before. To win patients and make them happy and motivated, all doctors should smile, leaving their personal problems aside. Who does not want pleased patients? Susan Baker, in her article For the Smile-Challenged: Why a Smile Matters, states that “without a welcoming smile, [patients] may decide ‘this isn't going to be good.’” It is to this extent a smile matters! But what should be done to make that possible.

Believing in the importance of smiling for attracting customers, Chinese employees are trained to smile by biting a chopstick. Shockingly enough, in 2006 in Egypt, 24,000 employees were trained to smile as an initiative to develop the quality of the customer services in governmental sectors. Can this be done in our hospitals? According to Hajer, doctors’ smile gives patients hope; as a result, a smile must be there. Manar, however, sees a similar project as a worthless one as “doctors will eventually be stressed with the huge amount of work they want to finish.” I think that there is no harm though in considering such an idea in our medical services development plans.

Art Has A Heart: When Art Make All the Difference

Art Has A Heart:

When Art Make All the Difference

By Ali Al Yaaqubi

College of Education, English

It has been known since ages that Art is a way of expressing joy and sorrow in artistic mode with the artist own final touches. Nowadays, Art has been given a soul. Artists draw an Art piece or take a picture because they wanted to improve their society conditions.  Recently, many Art events have been conducted to paint a smile on the faces of those who forget how to. Hi SQU, believe that Art can make a huge difference, as a result, Ali Al Yaaqubi meets two organizers of two different Art charity events.

The Essence of Art:

Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest artists of all times, once said, “the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” Art is not a random a purposeless act as some people think, but it has so much into it. The purposes of Art might have changed as time passes, but there is one thing that will stay still. Art gives people hope to move along the roads of life. Mr. Ibrahim Gailani, a contemporary artist, has recently conducted, along with his team, an event called “Art 100*100.” He explained that he wanted to fight cancer because it made him lose one of his family relatives. Mr. Gailani said, “I aimed to unite all artists who have been affected by cancer somehow to make 100 art pieces and sell them.” He adds that all the money raised will be given to the Oman Cancer Association to make the best use of it. In addition, Sahara Hamayon, organized a charity project called “Paint A Smile.” She explains that though her project is not a big one but it made all the difference in the lives of the less fortunate people. She adds, “God has gifted me with talents, and the least I should do is to use them for the sake of my society.”

Think Out of the Box

Some people say that they are incapable of helping others who are in need for so. Lack of money, is the excuse they do provide. It is true that money can make people smile, but it is not the only way. You can plant a tree. This doesn’t require much of work but it has a great impact. And if you are still thinking of helping through donating money, think, plan, make an event of yours and raise money. Sahara Hamayon argues that if people are motivated and are willing to make a difference sooner or later they will. Sahara adds, “we can look deep into ourselves. What potentials do we have and what can we offer to help my society. There is so much will be found.” Sahara also explained that in her project she painted an entire rehab center in Al khoud. She would not have done so without the help of 80 volunteers who also believed that only through their simple artistic talents they can paint a smile.

Beyond Our Expectations:

I do believe that helping the less fortunate people or helping cancer patients is the main cause for such charity projects. But let us also not forget that it is a waking alarm for me and my dear readers. It is time that we give something special to our society. Mr. Gailani explained that the team of “Art 100*100” wanted the society to care, show love and help raising money to cure cancer patients. This will not have been achieved without the huge media support either  by “Hi Weekly” or “ Times of Oman,” he asserted. In addition, the selling of 73 art pieces of the total 100 is a striking success. Mr. Gailani happily says, “ the target was 50 pieces, but this is an outstanding performance. I am proud and you all should be.” 

A Message to the Youth

Youth is the future backbone, that is what we have been hearing lately. They are the ones with innovative ideas, and such ideas are what makes or breaks our day. We have seen how Mark Zuckerberg has changed the world because of his idea, "facebook." We need young people who have the courage to show their ideas and talents to the worlds. Mr. Ibrahim Gailani explains that the youth have the energy but they are still afraid to take risks. He states that many people have participated in his event,  from different nationalities, ages and from both genders. In fact, this shows that people care but they always want someone to guide them but it should not be so. Mr. Gailani says, “ if you have a concept, an idea, think big, and live trying to make it happen.” 

What is Hi SQU?

 H! SQU is a monthly pages published in the Omani magazine, Hi magazine, coordinated by  a team of journalists from " English and Translation Society at Sultan Qaboos University"ETS".

H! SQU usually discuss variety of topics that takes place in the Omani society and in SQU.

H! SQU team is basically a group of passionate students who think they have the right to step up to speak and spread their thoughts to the world.

LOVE H! SQU,,CREATIVITY WILL FOLLOW EASILY..