We don't need no edukation! Riots & multiple Arson attempts in Omani high schools

Oman's students are revolting. Oh yes, protests have broken out at schools across the Batna coast. Some schools were closed by the ROP, and there were multiple arson attacks - one successful. As the newspaper Times of Oman, Anees Al Zedjali's much admired throbbing organ of the Omani 4th Estate, put it here, the crimes were committed by "miscreants" [I love the olde worlde English the expat staff at ToO use, especially when the thesaurus comes out!]

Photo: Widespread school protests in Oman are leading to acts of Arson.

Arson in Al Khoud school
Seeb: Unidentified miscreants yesterday morning set ablaze some classrooms in an Al Khoud school, located in the wilayat of Seeb.

Sources said that the culprits set the classroom afire with the help of tyres.

This incident follows a wave of protests that has lashed some schools in some regions of Oman following the high failure rates in the examinations and discontinuation of the previous promotion policy by the Ministry of Education.

Investigations are on to nab the culprits, a spokesman from the Royal Oman Police said.

And it's great to see it being reported, again in ToO. The kids are upset that they actually have to pass exams, and are blaming the teachers. How the arson helps their cause, I don't know.


Omani Student's are demanding to pass their exams, 'or else'.

High failure rate leads to protests in schools

Muscat: Students of some schools in the Sultanate launched protests against the high rate of failure in the examinations for Grades 10 and 11, citing the abolition of the earlier promotion system for this.

Some schools reportedly also witnessed acts of arson following the protests that occurred last week.

Scores of students gathered at Moosa bin Nadeer School in Al Hail area and went on a protest in the morning protesting the high failure rate in the school compared to other Muscat schools. The students blamed “unqualified” teachers for their failure in the examinations.
...

The Majlis had a meeting about Education a couple of days ago. As with all Majlis reporting, there is zero information about their discussion, problems, goals, progress, actions, et al.

Majlis panel meets to find solutions to education snags

Majlis panel meets to find solutions to education snags
Muscat: The Education and Culture Committee of the Majlis Al Shura yesterday held its meeting under the chair of Khalid bin Hilal Al-Nabhani, head of the Committee.

During the meeting, members reviewed the suggestions sent to the committee by citizens and took appropriate decisions.

They also discussed a number of educational issues and the problems facing government and private educational institutions and sought to find solutions to overcome these issues.

Excellent. Good to see the problem is in safe hands, and that plans are in place! This does not bode well for Oman's education system. There are already huge issues with teachers allowing plagiarism and rampant cheating. The schools in general churn out poorly educated & unmotivated students. English is terrible. The cirriculum is based on repetition and rote.

But at least they can line up at the 'job seekers' office later on and get $400 a month. Or 'supervise' an Indian worker.

In the same edition, Editor in Chief Essa Al Zedjali raves about the 1 Omani who just got a patent in Spain for an energy invention (which is good news, I agree), and goes on to claim this indicates how Omani education is soaring, and heralds an intellectual renaissance in the Sultanate. [Note, I'm advised all of the Opinion pieces are actually written by the (Indian) senior Editor, and then tweaked by Essa. LOL]

...
Sheikh Hilal is a product of this Blessed Renaissance — an empowered and unfettered mind and a child of liberalism ushered by the visionary ruler, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Einstein said: “All of science is nothing more than refinement of everyday thinking.”

The uninterrupted run of peace and modernisation of the past 41 years of Omani Renaissance has indeed helped many brilliant Omani minds to refine their everyday thinking. Sheikh Hilal has proved the paradigm true.

A brilliant mind, hard working and competent to his core, Sheikh Hilal has proved our yet another conviction. Given the right ambience, opportunity and encouragement, Omanis too are competent enough to prove their worth in every conceivable field of human activities, especially in science and technology. Sheikh Hilal is the brightest testimony of the fact that Renaissance has been a benign movement and the country is indeed moving along the right track of modernisation.
...

Looking at the photos of the protestors, I can see they all look like the sort of bright talented hard working young minds that will be generating patents, creating world dominating businesses and being nominated for Nobel prizes.


Hey, at least we're better than Yemen.

But isn't it soooo ironic? Is Times' Editor Essa actually a tool of the zionist conspiracy?

Almost speechless.

I saw the piece from Essa in The Times today, Israel is the main culprit behind piracy and was dying to say... something.... but so busy at work, couldn't.

And welcome back Suburban, you said it.

Essa...publishing what is, quite possibly, his craziest "Viewpoint" article yet.
...
I want you all to Join me in applauding Essa Al Zedjali, Editor in Chief of the Times of Oman, for using front page space, on World Press Freedom Day to help spread ingnornace and hatred throughout the world with his Crazed, Psychotic, Paranoid rant on the evils of Israeli/Somali Piracy.

If he can write and publish these sort of lies and conspiracy on the front page of his newspaper here, then we really do have some astounding press freedoms.

What an ass.

I can probably only echo a lot of earlier comments about this. Here's the image that came to mind while I read Essa's rant.




Does Essa actually read this stuff? Or is he perhaps on life support and this is his henchmen / apparatchiks under the pay of.... someone else?

We've been here before, just a few months ago, it has to be said. Does he have family who care?

Funnily enough, Essa's ground-breaking viewpoint is exactly the sort of story that is consistent with someone who is ....



...


actually a part of the very conspiracy he alludes too!!!!!!!! Its true, read it here. [or is wiki too a part of the conspiracy?....]

I know!!!! How crafty is that????? He points to a well known [UD: actually, well known hoax] and classic conspiracy theory dating back to the late 19th century, and yet that same conspiracy theory clearly and obviously implicates him as an effective part of it.




Lets just list some facts shall we?

1/ The conspirators (obviously) control the global media.

Co-incidence?: Essa happens to be the owner and Chief Editor of the largest organ of the 4th Estate in Oman.

2/ The conspirators (obviously) control the entire world finance system, and use usury and foreign loans to get countries into debt.

Co-incidence?: Essa's son controls the biggest economic development project in Oman, or indeed the GCC: Blue City, touted at over $20bln. The high interest rate bonds used in the overseas funding were raised by ..... a New York/Swiss based outfit called Oppenheimer. And even more concerning perhaps, if the covenants of those loans are breached, the mysterious bond holders probably get the land!

3/ The conspirators, which Essa is clearly intimately aware of, are part of the Freemasons, and here is a rendering of one of their key symbols, the Hermaphroditic Goat of Mendes, (a composite creature formulated to symbolize an astral light. It is identical, by the way, with Baphomet, the mystic pantheos of those disciples of ceremonial magic, the Templars, who probably obtained it from the Arabians).



Co-incidence?: here is the logo of the Times of Oman.


Notice the central emblem?


Wow. I'm sure observant readers may well find more of these coincidences, for that is obviously all that they are, mere innocent coincidences. I think the idea that I've heard around town, namely that Essa Al Zedjali is a co-conspirator in the most incredible global conspiracy in the history of the world (well, Ok, since Goldmember) , is contemptible and baseless on the prima facie.

And I think I've said enough. The space ship will be checking in on me later, and right now I have to help Elvis take Jimmy Hoffa down to the basement to shred some more files from JFK's thing for the Russians. Once I get instructions from Tom Cruise, naturally.

Spooky.

But really. As Suburban said, thank goodness (especially on International press day), the widely esteemed senior Editor of a national newspaper can speak his mind here in Oman, and utilise his privileged position high on a lofty and national, nay, international podium to make a real change for the better in this country.

To highlight an issue like this, in a way that will undoubtably place Oman front and centre on the stage of intellectual critique and strategic international foreign policy, and indeed simultaneously those of global diplomatic, economic and military policy.

I would think the Omani Government, the Foreign ministry, our brave lads and lasses in the military, the embassadors of our friends, and especially our good friends in Yemen, Saudi and Iran, would applaud this colossal insight into the key drivers for Arab unity and who what should control occupy the public agenda here in Oman.

Some might call him a towering monument to the level of intellectual public debate we have here in the Omani press.

Yes folks, here in Oman, Essa can print (with a license from the Government, all official and everything, no worries on that score I can assure you) fearless and brave statements about exactly what he thinks is really going on.

And cheers to that Essa.

Perhaps I should think of you more as a canary in a cage....

Debate on Essa Al Zedjali's Times of Oman editorial on Jews continues

The debate is continuing on the recent post referring to our local Hitler sympathist and holocaust apologist, Essa Al Zedjali,




and his front-page published observations and opinions on the on-going conflict in Gaza, religion, culture, race and ... err... Jews and genocide.

What do you think? Tell us at Muscat Confidential Comments.

I wonder if this editorial made the international media?

Times of Oman editor Essa Al Zedjali says Hitler justified in his actions against the Jews

I figured Essa Al Zedjali, Editor in Chief of Times of Oman, would launch an opinion piece raging against Israel today, but this time he's really out-done himself.

He basically says the actions of the Nazi Party and Hitler against the Jews were justified, excusing the mass murder of millions of civilians. This gem is proceeded by a summary that could be Cliff notes for the infamous forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

In fact, it's so 'out there' that it may well be illegal under Oman's famously pro-free press laws...

I would say its covered under several clear injunctions:
1/ that newspapers not publish anything that is politically, culturally, or sexually offensive;
2/ not to publish anything that ... creates hatred toward ... any ethnicity or religion;
3/ not to publish anything that ... promotes religious extremism;
4/ not to publish anything that ... insults other states.

It's perhaps the most disgusting, bigoted, conspiracy theory crap ever to grace the front page of an Omani newspaper (no, really, these days he modestly puts his weekly opinion piece on the front page, above the fold). Its quite unbelievable.

It would seem Mr Al Zedjali is now acting as a defacto-national spokesman for the wacko Iranian President's point of view of such things. Great!

Viewpoint this week

How Israel became a terrorist state
Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali
Sunday, January 04, 2009 12:37:52 AM Oman Time

...
It is illustrative to browse through the relevant pages of history to know the real history of the Jews in Germany. You would then come to know why Hitler had taken harsh measures against them. The entire economy of Germany, including banks, publishing houses, jewellery stores, light and heavy industries and almost all economic organisations of consequence, was under the total control of the Jews.

They muddied every aspect of the economy by perpetrating fraud after fraud on common people. This unprepossessing situation annoyed the German citizens no end and impelled Hitler to punish the Jews for their bad deeds.

He then goes on to say how the press in the USA are totally controlled by 'The Jews'...

Viewpoint (cont.)

...The United States today finds itself in the same predicament as Germany back then. Now in the US, the Jews wield enormous control over all important decisions, whether they relate to politics, economy or media. No American citizen is free today to utter a single word about international or even national issues. This is the reason the American views on various issues being relayed to the world through the media are in fact the views of the Jews.
...

Perhaps his reading hasn't covered such US publications as the controversial book published in 2007 by two US academics, John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard University,'The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy'. See the wiki link for an extensive example of freedom of debate in action in the USA, even over a topic as supposedly controlled as the role of the Jewish lobby in the USA.

In fact, in my opinion the best place to get top flight intellectual criticism of the USA is ... from within the USA.

It's ironic that Essa, editor of a newspaper in a country where the publication of almost anything - from photos of traffic accidents to any criticism of a Government Minister - is illegal, has the gall to accuse the USA of not having a free press.

A great Omani intellectual? LMAOFOFL.

Oman, you deserve so much better than this drivel. By publishing such idiocy, he helps make real and deserved criticism of the bombing of Gaza by Israel seem synonymous with antisemitism. This is of great assistance to those who do accuse any critique of Israel as being racist.

Meanwhile, Israel has commenced its invasion of Gaza using tanks and troops. Its going to get pretty messy.

The ferry saga continued – Business Consultant Essa to the rescue!

I should have done a post on this last week, but, ah, work sometimes gets too crazy.

Essa Al Zedjali, Editor of the hard-hitting Times of Oman, and (according to the Times of Oman) one of Oman’s most eminent intellectuals and authors, took issue last week with the pricing of the infamous new ferries, saying they were far too expensive and should cut their prices, and effectively asking for public money to subsidise the ferries even more than they are already... (see below). I actually agree with him.

I’d have preferred he comment on the lack of jetties, the half-assed decision to buy them in the first place, the lack of trained Omanis to run it, and who's actually paying for all this, but let’s get the financials right first!

The details are below, but the bottom line is:
- Almost no matter what they charge, the ferries are highly uneconomic. The cheapest way to operate the boats is to, er, not operate them at all.
- The most likely face saving 'solution' is to write-off the capital investment of the boats and jetties, and then try to cover the visible running costs through fares. Thats what the NFC is for, and is trying to do at least on paper. Even then, the Government is effectively subsiding the tickets by a HUGE amount.
- By my estimate, the true cost to the Government of a return ticket is around 400 rials per person if they only run 3 times a week and get some money from transporting cars eventually. Not counting the 90% fuel subsidy, the cost is around 140 rials per person per trip.
- To break even just on running costs, with generous assumptions on occupancy and cheap fuel, prices would need to be ~twice what the NCA currently charge.

Taking account of the true value of diesel, running the trip only 3.5 times a week, the Government will need to provide an effective annual subsidy of ~12-13 million rials a year, mostly through cheap fuel and providing the boats for free.

Ignoring the cost for the boats and jetties, and the fuel subsidy, the Government will still have to subsidise operations to the tune of 1.5 to 2 million rials per year.

Countries all over the world subsidise their ferry’s for social benefit reasons. Its obvious from the basic calculations below that Oman will have to do the same. I think the real answer is that the subsidy should be transparent, so people are aware that it is NOT an economic business. And you have to avoid giving the ferry company principals a blank cheque to pay themselves a fortune for running a money losing business.

At current fares, they will only pull in at most about 1 million a year, and with Essa’s suggested prices about half that. Compared to the costs, it makes no real difference to the real subsidy either way.

So, as I said on this blog previously, this is a great trip, mostly paid for by the Ministry of National Economy. And I’m almost afraid to say, I amazingly find myself agreeing with Essa. (I know, I find it hard to believe too. That’s why I had to run the numbers myself!) The subsidy needed is so high, that the price of the tickets is almost immaterial. Better to make them as cheap as you can, at least for Omani’s or residents, and fill the boat. Make up some of the money in the Khasab hotels, and on food and booze.

Personally, I’d take the second ferry and turn it into a floating Casino, based out of Khasab. And maybe think about running the ferry to Dubai and or Iran, as well as the Muscat-Khasab route.

I'm just glad I don't own the ferries... But I wish I was able to be Chairman of the company that does, and pay myself heaps of Government money for running a loss making business. Nice work if you can get it.

Picture: One of Oman's ferries in its most economic setting: out of the water, unused.

Details
I decided to try and guestimate the breakeven price for the tickets.
Capital Costs
2 Ferries: reported purchase price ~26 million rials
Jetties: I dunno, but lets say another 5 million
Assuming a 6% discount rate (seeing as how the Government effectively owns them and can borrow the money pretty cheaply), and a 20 year life, that means you need 2.6 million rials per year to pay all that off.

Operating Cost
Crew of 12 x 2 ferries, manpower to run the jetties, some marketing people, … Probably about 1 million rial per year at least
Maintenance: Those ferries are pretty high tech: say 200k per year
One Ferry return trip Muscat to Kasab burns about 60,000 litres of diesel. Even at Government subsidized rates of 130 biaisa per litre, that’s 7,800 rials per return trip. (You should note, at current international rates for diesel, the Government could instead sell that same diesel for ~60,000 rials!).

If we do a trip every day (just to try and get the investment back by working the ferries as much as possible) that’s 2.8 million rials worth of subsidised fuel per year.

So, combining the above, it means every trip costs the owners ~18,000 rials. Just to break even. Running on highly subsidized fuel. What a deal.

Now, the income side.
The boats seat ~200 people. I don’t have the exact numbers, but lets say 10 VIPs, 20 1st Class, and 170 Tourist class. At the current rates from NFC, assuming VIPs don’t pay, and a 90% capacity, they receive ~8,300 rials in fares if they fill the boat. At Essa’s suggested rates they would take in at most ~3,700 rials.

So, even with current NFC rates they lose at least 10,000 rials per trip, 3.6 million rials a year. If they cut them further as suggested by Essa you’d lose around 15,000 rials a trip, or 5.3 million a year. (Note: If they had to pay real prices for the fuel though, that would amount to annual losses of ~27 million rials a year, and they may as well give away the seats it makes so little difference).

Of course, if the boats are empty at current prices, Essa’s absolutely right that you are probably better of cutting prices to fill the boat. The NCA’s original prices seem to be designed to roughly cover visible running costs based on subsidized fuel and assuming almost full occupancy. Their latest fare cut is probably just to try and lose less money and get more than 5 passengers a day. And of course the last thing you actually want to do is run the boat at all, because it just burns more cash!

Opinion: Times of Oman 5th October 2008

Two giant ferries in the Gulf of Oman!
Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali
Sunday, October 05, 2008 11:57:50 PM Oman Time

A FEW weeks ago I had read a news item in local papers that the second ferry named ‘Hormuz’ had joined the fleet of the government-owned National Ferry Company (NFC). A few days ago the local papers reported that the NFC has reduced the Muscat-Khasab-Muscat ticket price from RO74 to RO44 for the economy class and to RO85 for the first class.

The news item has been warmly received by the citizens. But we still demand that the company offers further reductions which are more in line with the income of the citizens and take into account the cost of living and the price hike that has affected people from all walks of life. This reduction is demanded because the two-way air ticket costs only RO49 for the 45-minute flight while it takes 6 hours by ferry.

A committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of National Economy and Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry should have been formed before the launch of the ferries to determine the right prices of tickets. But it seems the board of the National Ferry Company has fixed the prices without taking into account the opinion of the said authorities.

This shows that the decision to fix the prices of tickets is taken randomly by the NFC board, without any consultation or coordination with the government authorities concerned, which has shocked and upset the citizens and made this issue the talk of the town during the last two months.

This project is of vital significance and aimed at facilitating the movement of citizens and residents to and from the northern coastal areas as part of the government’s wise policy of boosting domestic tourism. For this purpose, the NFC should have financial support from the government in order to enable it to run such a project safely and efficiently. The company could, at present, reconsider the prices of tickets, though it may increase them gradually later on.

We once again appeal to the National Ferry Company to reconsider the ticket prices and suggest a two-way ticket of RO20 for adults and RO10 for children for the economy class provided the ticket price does not include provision of food and drinks. We also suggest that the two-way first class ticket should not cost more than RO50 and should not include food and drinks. The passengers could have their meals at the coffee shops on the ferry.

By doing this, the NFC could rightly achieve the objectives of its logo "navigation in nature" as many people will prefer to travel within the country by two of the fastest ferries in the world in complete comfort and safety.