Salwa, Kuwait Report of what it's like to live there - 02/08/13
Personal Experiences from Salwa, Kuwait
School Name:
Al-Ghanim Bilingual School
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
both
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 9
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2010-2011
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
work
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
F
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
F
Administration & School Procedures:
1. For the following attributes, down to the next blank box, grade your experience at the school on a scale of A to F with comments:
Overall School Grade - F
Parents and Expatriate/Local Hire Teachers: Stay away from Al-Ghanim Bilingual School in Salwa, Kuwait!It’s my opinion that you should stay away from Al-Ghanim Bilingual School in Salwa, Kuwait. These are some of the things that I disliked about the school:1. The turn-over rate is very high for new “Westerners.” I think the reason for this is the administration does not provide the appropriate classroom support. Instead, the climate at the school is one in which some administrators are critical of teachers. In fact, the Director, Dr. Afaf El-Gemayel said in a meeting with new staff members, “If you look hard enough, all student problems are the teacher’s fault.” As a result of this attitude, the probability of surviving for very long at this school is low. Given the low probability of surviving at this school, it is not worth the financial, emotional, and time investment to go here.2. The administration is constantly popping into classrooms to observe teachers. In some cases, they will go into a teacher’s classroom five or more days straight . . . And, then they will still come back to do more observations at-will. It is very uncomfortable and nerve-racking for the teachers who are being watched. The administration says that they are doing it to “help” the teachers, but it feels more like they are doing it to “push” them out of the school. It seems barbaric.3. On a regular basis, the school “docks” people’s pay. As a Westerner, this was abhorrent to me—the idea that you could work a day and then lose that day’s pay based on the judgment call of an administrator. (My belief is that if someone has done something egregious enough, suspend them without pay. But to have people work and not pay them seems too self serving.)4. The school does not live up to financial commitments. You may or may not receive money owed you. Just because an administrator says in an e-mail that she will reimburse you for expenses, does not mean that she will. Also, I heard stories about how this school refused to pay summer salaries and “indemnity” pay owed to some teachers.5. The housing the school provided smelled. I think it was a combination of cigarette smoke and feces (no joke) from poor plumbing. When I returned to the “West,” I had to wash all of my clothes because they smelled.6. During the interview process, Dr. El-Gemayel said that the school had all the necessary classroom resources. The classroom decorations that were supplied to a colleague of mine were old and dirty, and several important resources were not available for the start of school.7. Even though the school is not licensed to teach special education students, the school has numerous low-level classes called “Special English.” Guess what the “Special” stands for? These classes have many students that should be evaluated for special education services. It appears to me that the administration does not want these students evaluated because if the results determined that these students needed special education services, then the students would have to leave the school, and the school would stand to lose a lot of tuition money. So, when teachers have trouble managing and teaching these students, the administration acts like the problem is with the teacher rather than acknowledging these students need services beyond the scope of a regular educational classroom.Although I recommend staying away from this school, if you are even considering working there, make sure that you get the following before making a final decision:1. A copy of the contract.2. A copy of the staff manual. If it’s the same staff manual that I received, you’ll find a list of things teachers should not do and the consequences—including the number of days pay that will be lost.3. Your assignment and schedule in writing. (There were teachers who were told that they would be doing one thing, and when they arrived they were told that they would be doing something else.)When you request these reasonable things, consider how the administration responds. Do they freely offer them to you with a smile, or do they come up with excuses not to provide them? If they don’t provide them, beware!If you make the mistake of accepting an offer from this school, then make sure you receive copies of your Initial and Final Approval Letters. (These approvals are sent to the school from the Kuwait Ministry of Education.) Also, once you receive copies of these items, contact that Kuwait Ministry of Education to make sure an original copy of your contract, as well as Initial and Final Approval Letters are on file. PLEASE DO THIS BEFORE YOU EVEN BOARD THE PLANE TO KUWAIT! I sought the assistance of the Ministry of Education when I was experiencing difficulty with the school administration. A ministry representative informed me that she couldn’t help me unless she had my original contract and approval letters on file (which she didn’t). Fortunately, the ministry representative was kind enough to refer me to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. (This ministry was a big help.) Unfortunately, I think the school administration purposely delays giving teachers these items so they won’t be able to seek assistance from the Ministry of Education when they’re being mistreated.
Here are more reasons to avoid Al-Ghanim Bilingual School in Salwa, Kuwait: 1. Teachers/staff members are required to work on approximately TEN Saturdays during the school year, without being compensated for this extra time. (The Saturday work is usually related to professional development or the accreditation application process.) 2. Al-Ghanim Bilingual School is currently undergoing the accreditation application process with the Council of International Schools (CIS). This school shouldn’t be accredited by any organization—ever! As part of the accreditation application process, staff members and teachers had to complete self-study reports grading and evaluating various aspects of the school and its administration—policies, infrastructure, transparency, ethical treatment of employees. Originally, the school and its administration were given many poor ratings in the self-study reports. The director, Afaf El-Gemayel, threatened staff members and teachers with the loss of summer pay unless the ratings were changed to reflect the school in a more positive light. As a result, the self-study reports were falsified and are now tainted by Afaf El-Gemayel’s need to lie about the state of Al-Ghanim Bilingual School.
2. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
The teachers and staff members are dedicated and hardworking.
3. For the following attributes, down to the next blank box, grade your experience at the school on a scale of A (excellent) to F (unacceptable/terrible) and provide comments:<br><br>Overall fair and equitable treatment of all students and families:
F
4. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
F
5. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
F
6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
F
7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
F
8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
F
9. Administration-parent communication:
F
10. Teacher-student communication:
F
11. Academics, answer the following questions "yes" or "no" with an explanation if appropriate:<br><br>Are there any classes or subjects where students are not appropriately challenged?
Yes
12. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
No
13. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
No
14. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
No
15. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
No
16. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
The administration needs to refer many students for evaluations which may result in special education services/classes.The administration also needs to provide ESL support services to students.
17. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
In addition to tuition and fees, parents are charged extra for everything--trips, supplies, food, uniforms, and special events--throughout the school year.
18. What activities do you feel are missing?
The administration should focus on improving the academic infrastructure before improving extracurricular activities.
19. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
No, they were focused on their studies.
20. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
No
21. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
The school is a money making operation that doesn't serve its students.The administration behaves accordingly.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
F
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
F
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
F
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
F
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
F
6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
F
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
No
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
F
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
No
11. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
No
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
No
2. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
Yes
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
The teachers and staff members are the greatest strength of the school.
2. Greatest challenge?
The greatest challenge facing the school is its administration--Director, Afaf El-Gemayel, and Curriculum Coordinator, Kimberly Alostaz.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
No
