Straight Talk
Horizon: Could you elaborate on your research experience in water resourc-
Glada Lahn
Glada Lahn is a Senior Research Fellow, specializing in energy, environment and resources,
at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs also known as Chatham House. Her research areas include global energy trends and
resource governance in oil and gas-exporting
economies. She has worked with experts in the
Gulf region on strategies for oil, gas and water conservation and is perhaps best known for
the controversial report ‘Burning Oil to Keep
Cool’, on the implications of oil consumption
trends on the Saudi Arabian economy. Glada
recently visited Sultan Qaboos University and
delivered a talk on the topic “Should water be
free? Considerations for the Gulf and International Experience”.
es management?
Glada Lahn: My background is actually in energy but in 2013, we began
an international initiative called Valuing Vital Resources which examines the
costs and price linkages between energy, water and food with the aim of encouraging good ideas to shift resource consumption onto a sustainable track.
The focus of the last year has been on the Gulf countries because there has
been such strong interest from experts and officials in the region in the potential for using market mechanisms to reduce energy consumption. So we’ve
held a series of workshops to discuss these issues, collaborate on research
and compile case studies and the idea is to open up a conversation and share
experience.
Horizon: Do you think that in the Gulf countries, the urban sprawl, leisure
developments and industrial complexes are devouring the resources below
ground at an increasing rate?
Glada Lahn: Cheap water and energy have enabled this boom, but yes, all
the things you mention are pushing up demand for exhaustible resources.
On current trends, Gulf countries will become more and more dependent on
imports, not only of food, but also gas. Even though Gulf countries are rich in
gas, there are some chronic shortages - Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates
are already importing more liquefied natural gas each year at international
prices up to seven times domestic ones. The massive rise in demand for power for air-conditioning - using inefficient equipment in buildings unsuitable
for the Gulf climate – is driving fuel demand. This would end up constraining oil for export, even in Saudi Arabia. The boom in urbanization and highend business tourism has increased the demand for food – meat and dairy in
particular - and groundwater is being rapidly depleted to supply this market.
Horizon: What are the main unsustainable trends in the use of water in this
region?
Glada Lahn: Inefficient practices in agriculture have taken a huge toll on
the reserves, with large tracts of land devoted to water-intensive crops including wheat, alfalfa and Rhodes grass and in many cases, uncontrolled
well drilling and sprinkler or flood irrigation. Even as wheat subsidies are
being phased out in Saudi Arabia, alfalfa growing has gone up because there
is a giant dairy industry in the country to buy it as fodder whilst diesel to
pump groundwater costs farms just 6 US cents per litre. Urban use is mainly
served by desalinated seawater and in spite of the precious energy inputs
and huge capital cost of plants, wastage is common. For instance, as much as
40% of desalinated water supplies can be lost in distribution in Saudi Arabia
and per capita use is high, especially for villas which cultivate American or
European style gardens which need a lot of water. Very little water is recycled
throughout the region. Food waste is also high; around 2500 tons of food
waste every day in Dubai alone. It is a great pity this is not being collected
and made into compost as this would greatly improve the productivity of soil
for food growing and reduce water requirements.
Horizon: Charging more for water or energy is not going to be a very popular policy. Where do you think governments should begin?
Glada Lahn: Countries are already engaged in reducing some subsidies –
leaders are aware that something has to give – but some are more cautious
than others and for good reason. I had the honour of meeting His Highness,
the Deputy Prime Minister of Oman, and listened to his wise words on the
water challenges that this region faces. He emphasized the need for a change
in people’s consciousness about water and its value and the imperative for
governments need to take immediate and practical steps to conserve water.
I think that before adjustments to price, a good starting point to raise awareness of the value of water is to make transparent in each country on how
much is being lost, wasted and foregone and how the costs of this will mount
in future - effectively depriving young people from their fair share of the
nation’s wealth. This means the different ministries and authorities sharing
data, and including - and making the case to - the ministries of finance.
And for agriculture, of course the Aflaj experience in Oman shows how cooperative water management and conservation can be achieved without payment but it may be very specific to social and geographic conditions. I also
hear there has been some success here with strict regulating licenses for well
drilling that might be taken up by other countries. Other solutions suggested
by participants in our Valuing Vital Resources dialogues include raising the
price of diesel – at least so it is standardized across the region to avoid smuggling, rolling out nationwide smart metering for pumping and passing on
full costs resource to the agribusiness but subsidizing the produce directly
for citizens.
30 December 2014
Symposium Throws Light on Mountain Research
Panorama
Killing English with Good Intentions?
Mind Over Matter
SQU, Ningxia University to Boost Ties
News Update
Keeping Close
Watch on Crab
Plovers
Department of Public
Relations and Information
Sultan Qaboos University
Issue 303
View Point
Real Entrepreneurship
The word entrepreneurship is much discussed everywhere now. Everywhere
you turn, it seems there is an event, program or lecture teaching you how
to become an entrepreneur. Everyone expects the action, from government
agencies, foundations, incubators, and accelerators to new programs or brief
immersion experiences or startups. A an array of certified programs, boot
camps and elective courses are also popping up at educational institutions
and community centers.
Mohamed Salem Al Ghailani
Editorial Supervision
Santhosh Muthalath
Senior Editor
Sara Al Gheilani
Nasebah Al Muharrami
Translation
Ahlam Al Wahaibi
Design & Layout
Photography Dept., CET
Photography
Salim Al Sudairi
Circulation
SQU-info
Experts say that fundamentally it is just as wrong to believe that anyone is
‘born’ an entrepreneur as that they are ‘born’ a doctor or a lawyer or a truck
driver. Entrepreneurial capacity can be taught and developed in any wellmotivated person. Kevin Kindle, globally respected expert in innovation and
entrepreneurship, says that, we must reject the proposition that entrepreneurs are ‘born, not made’. According to him, all entrepreneurs are made,
not born. How well they are ‘made’ depends on a combination of the quality
of: their education in the discipline of entrepreneurship; their experience in
practice and the match between their natural proclivities and the field they
have chosen to operate in.
Even then, there is a relevant question: Is it possible to teach someone to become a successful entrepreneur in a classroom setting? Especially in the case
where the student has little or no on-the-job experience developing the leadership, business acumen, and marketing skills required to run a startup. The
character traits needed to become a successful startup founder can be taught
in a classroom. However, there is no way to simulate the ups and downs of
emotions or to train someone to have the drive they’ll need to overcome obstacles threatening a startup’s success.
Entrepreneurship is more about sacrifice and personal cost than any kind of
hip hop lifestyle, glory or fun. Building a startup is, exciting or fun. But entrepreneurship is not a lifestyle; it is a calling that often requires deep sacrifice to
build a better future not only for oneself but for those the startup serves. Just
as other programs require internships and hands-on learning, it should be
essential for entrepreneurship programs. Due to the skill sets required to run
a startup are so diverse, entrepreneurship programs must also deliver a curriculum with a broad knowledge base to attract the serious entrepreneurs or
produce students properly equipped to launch a startup. We need to raise the
bar not only of coursework offerings but in requiring hands-on experience if
we are going avoid setting up founders for failure.
@SQU-info
Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of
articles, news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions may be edited for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions
to horizon@squ.edu.om preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited.
The views and opinions expressed in the articles published in this newsletter are those of the authors
and are not to be construed as the official views of the publication. Horizon is published three times a
month by the Department of Public Relations and Information, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50,
P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Phone: +968 24141045
E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om
30 December 2014
P2
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om
Panorama
Symposium Throws Light on Mountain Research
The “Symposium on Oman Mountains: Environment & Agriculture” organized recently by the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences (CAMS) at
SQU brought together researchers interested in the present and future of
the Oman Mountains. This symposium was a follow up of the Mountains of
the World Conference organized by SQU in 2008 in which SQU’s Center for
Environmental Studies & Research (CESAR) presented results of the multidisciplinary “Al Jabal Al Akhdar Initiative – Conservation and Sustainable
Development in a Fragile Arid Mountain Ecosystem” (2004-2007). Similarly, the interdisciplinary German-Omani co-operation project “Transformation processes in oasis settlements of Oman” collected baseline data about
transformation processes in oases of Oman (1999-2005).
Speaking the opening ceremony, Dr. Mushtaque Ahmed, Associate Professor at CAMS, SQU, said that mountains, which covers 27% of the Earth’s
land area, harbour important ecosystems which often play the role of water towers that govern vast ecosystems. As 22% of the world population
live in the mountains, these provide livelihoods to large populations and a
range of plant and animal species. Mountain ecosystems are often particularly fragile zones of cultural diversity and merit protection in view of rapid
transformation processes”, he said. Prof. Anvar Kacimov, Dean of CAMS,
who spoke on the occasion, gave an overview various research projects on
Oman’s mountains and mountain ecosystems carried out by his college.
Giving the first talk on agro-ecological setting, biodiversity and sustainability of irrigated oasis agriculture in Northern Oman, Dr. Andreas Buerkert
from the Organic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the
Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel, Germany, said that Oman’s
rich cultural heritage is a reflection of the development of sustainable oasis
agriculture as a livelihood system that helps to overcome the hardships and
unpredictability of a hyper-arid environment. “The multi-storey oasis agriculture comprise many unique cultivars of perennial and annual species
such as fruit trees, alfalfa, wheat and banana imported from remote seatrading partners which merit international preservation and possibly use
in international breeding programs. Based on the traditional management
skills of Omani farmers the millennia-old, falaj-irrigated, man-made terrace
soils allow very efficient irrigation systems which, require the constant input of manure from animal husbandry systems to maintain the systems’
carbon balance. The sustainable maintenance and their potential touristic
use will require informed decision making to match the multiple goals of
job and income generation for local populations, conservation of ecosystem
services and cultural identity and the integration of plant and livestock production systems in the Oman Mountains”, Dr. Andreas Buerkert said.
Hon. Dr. Rashid Al Yahyaee from CAMS, SQU, in his presentation, said that
mountains, that occupy nearly 15% of Oman’s landmass, offered shelter
and protection and has been a source of food, water, and range for livestock,
among a long list of benefits. “Numerous food and medicinal plants grow
naturally in these mountains and are being harvested for these purposes
until today. The range of altitude and climate of these mountains offered
an opportunity for cultivation of unique crops that otherwise would not
have been cultivated in other parts of Oman. To date, Omani mountains
hold a treasure of biological diversity of crop landraces and crop-wild-relatives that are being exploited for their genetic characteristics throughout
the world”. Dr. Rashid Al Yahyaee further said that a lot more needs to be
done to ensure sustainable use of these mountains as well as protection and
optimum use of the available natural resources, including land, water and
genetic resources.
Speaking about animal husbandry and nutrient cycling in the northern
Hajar mountains, Eva Schlecht, from the University of Kassel, said that
livestock husbandry has been an important activity of Oman’s sedentary
and semi-nomadic rural population for millennia. “The traditional livestock
management systems were flexible enough to respond to highly variable
environmental conditions, and traditional rules governing land use rights
avoided the overuse of pastures. With numbers of goats and sheep increasing in response to a high demand for local meat, but reinforced by massive
investment in urban housing and infrastructure as well as lack of interesting
of the younger generation in animal husbandry, the vegetation of natural
pastures is rapidly degrading on mountain pastures in the Northern Hajar”,
Eva Schlecht added.
Speaking about the state of animal husbandry in the mountains of Oman,
Prof. Osman Mahgoub from CAMS, said that the mountains of Oman have
significant livestock populations and important animal husbandry traditional practices. “The most common livestock species is the goat. However,
in Dhofar, cattle and camels are more important. Dhofar had the highest
population of camels (60%) and cattle ( 54%) followed by goats (13%). Animal husbandry systems are semi transhumant and settled village systems.
Most animals are sent early in the day to graze the mountain rangeland
with or without shepherds. Supplementation is given as range grazing does
not provide full nutritional energy requirement to livestock especially during the dry season. Dependence on natural grazing led to a serious deterioration of the natural rangeland manifested in signs of overgrazing and
dominance of non-palatable species”, he said. According to Prof. Osman
Mahgoub, the challenges facing mountain livestock systems include the diminishing natural grazing areas due to extensive urbanization, low rainfall
and overgrazing. One of the major concerns is the depletion of native animal genetic resources due to selling of prime animals to neighboring countries for high prices.
As many as 12 speakers from Oman and abroad presented papers about
various mountain ecosystems of Oman. The symposium concluded with a
panel discussion on the future of mountain research in Oman.
P7
30 December 2014
News Round Up
SQU, UAEU to Pursue Five
Joint Research Projects
The 27th meeting of the joint committee of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and
UAE University (UAEU), agreed to carry out five new joint research projects.
Dr. Hamed bin Suleiman Al Salmi, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administrative & Financial Affairs, headed the SQU delegation which attended in the
joint committee meeting held at UAEU recently. The meeting also agreed on
various student activities to be organized by the two universities during the
coming year.
The joint research projects will have one principal investigator each from both institutions. university. The approved projects are the following: (1) Development
of a novel vegetable farming chamber utilizing zero-water cooling and natural
lighting (Dr. Moustafa Fadel, UAEU and Dr. Abdulrahim Al-Ismaili, SQU); (2)
Evaluation the quality, safety and storage stability of traditional fish products
in the United Arab Emirates and Sultanate of Oman (Dr. Aisha Abushelaibi,
UAEU and Dr. Ismail Al- Bulushi, SQU); (3) Numerical analysis visualization
and experimental measurement of capillary-driven blood flow micro-channel
mixing (Dr. Mohammad Omar Hamdan, UAEU and Dr. Afzal Husain, SQU); (4)
Child car safety seat utilization in two Gulf nations: Oman and UAE (Dr. Nicole
Footen Bromfield, UAEU and Dr. Samir Al Adawi, SQU); and, (5) Mitochondrial
DNA variation in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (Dr. Fatma Al-Jasmi,
UAEU and Dr. Patrick Scott, SQU).
During the next year, the two universities will hold a number of joint student
activities. SQU will host the Sixth Technical Forum, Fine Arts Exhibition and
Inter-university Sports Meet. UAEU will host Students Forum, World Heritage
Day and Cultural Challenge Competition (Leaders’ Cup). The joint committee
meeting approved the recommendations of its previous meeting, approved the
follow-up report, reviewed progress of joint research projects and student activities that are carried out and implemented for the academic year 2014-2015.
The meeting also reviewed student exchange between the two universities and
follow up of the electronic linking of libraries in SQU and UAEU.
SQU Hosts “ISO 9001”
Awareness Workshop
In order to help the institution to demonstrate commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, and for the continuous improvement of its quality management systems, the Quality Assurance Office at Sultan Qaboos University,
organized “ISO 9001 Awareness Workshop” recently. The workshop led by two
experts from Vincotte International, provided participants with an overview of
the purpose and requirements of “ISO 9001:2008” a tool for business improvement. A total of 15 participants (Quality Assurance Office 7, VC Office 2, DVC
Administrative & Financial Affairs 1, Deanship of Admissions & Registration3,
Deanship of Student Affairs 1, SQU Hospital 1) attended the workshop.
In three sessions, the presenters Mr. Sudhir M. Borole, Head Business Strategy,
Vincotte International India Assessment Services Pvt. Ltd., and Mr. Prakash
V.K., Lead Auditor, AIB Vincotte International and Partners LLC, Sultanate of
Oman, gave an overview of the purpose and requirements of “ISO 9001:2008”.
In the first session the speakers gave an introduction followed by presentations
on the definition of quality, basic quality functions, inspection, quality control,
quality assurance, quality management and total quality management.
30 December 2014
P6
SQU Hosts Ethics Course
A five-day Ethics Teachers’ Training Course (ETTC) was
jointly organized by Sultan Qaboos University and UNESCO recently. The course was aimed at promoting quality ethics education by building professional capacities
of ethics teachers in the Sultanate, and the neighboring
countries. The opening ceremony of the course was held
under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani,
Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University, and Chairman of Oman National Bioethics Committee.
In his opening address, Ahmed Samit Al Badawi, Secretary of the Oman National Bioethics Committee, thanked
UNESCO headquarters for selecting Oman as the focal
point in conducting the five day training course. “The
Oman National Bioethics Committee, which was established in 2005, has been very active since its inception in
conducting various activities pertaining to different topics in bioethics. The Committee has organized forums on
bioethical issues such as abortion, DNA screening, test
tube babies, stem cell research, sex reassignment surgery,
and Omani national document on human and animal research guidelines. In collaboration with UNESCO, SQU,
and TRC, the National Bioethics Committee will hold the
first international bioethics conference in March 2015”,
he said.
Dafna Feinholz, Chief, Section of Bioethics, UNESCO,
Paris, said that in the Arab region, bioethics is well recognized as an effective tool to address ethical conflicts
in medical treatments and research. “Universally established principles of bioethics had been examined by
regional organizations and religious authorities in the
region such as Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences (IOMS) and Al Azhar University on the applicability of these principles into the regional cultural and
religious contexts and it has been confirmed that they
are in conformity with Islamic teachings and Arab culture. However, actual practices and implementation of
such principles into national regulations require due reflection on social and economic context such as higher
illiteracy among women in general, scarce resources for
health care, and facilities and strong social norms that
may compromise the dignity of individuals or communities as in the case of female genital mutilation”, she said.
As many as 30 participants from different universities
and research institutions in the Sultanate, and neighboring countries attended the ETTC program which concluded on 11 December.
News Update
SQU, Ningxia University
to Boost Ties
Top Officials from Sultan Qaboos University and Ningxia Medical
University, Yinchuan, People’s Republic of China, discussed means to
strengthen cooperation between the two institutions. The discussion
was held in connection with the visit of a delegation from Ningxia
Medical University to SQU recently. The delegation, headed by Mr. Ma
Jijun, Vice President of Ningxia Medical University, was received by
Dr. Hamed bin Suleiman Al Salmi, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for
Administrative & Financial Affairs, and Mr. Salahddin Al Saadi, Acting
Director of International Cooperation Office, and other officials.
In 2013, a letter of intent has been signed between Ningxia Medical
University and Sultan Qaboos University. This is the third visit of
Ningxia to SQU. In the meeting, both sides discussed on building Confucius Institute in the region. Confucius Institutes are non-profit public
institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People’s
Republic of China the aim of which is to promote Chinese language
and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges. The two sides also discussed on enhancing
cooperation between the two universities through student exchange
programs, exchange of physicians, cooperation in medical fields, and
joint research. The officials agreed on scheduling cultural visits between the universities to start with. After the meeting with the Deputy
Vice Chancellor, the Chinese university delegation visited the College
of Medicine & Health Sciences and held discussion with the Assistant
Deans and other officials.
418 Outstanding
Students Honored
Under the Patronage of H. E. Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, the Vice
Chancellor, the Deanship of Student Affairs at Sultan Qaboos University recently hosted a ceremony to honor 418 outstanding students from
various colleges. This annual ceremony is organized by the Deanship
to honor students who excel in academic and extracurricular activities.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Yousif bin Salem Al Hinai, the Dean of
Student Affairs, said that the students need to identify their goals for
the future and begin to plan for their options in life. “For students to
achieve their goals, they have to take full responsibility for their learning and become involved in their own career planning. In today’s
world hard skills or knowledge in the subject they study at the university is not enough to get a job offer. To excel in the job market, students
require skills in dealing with and communicating with people effectively. Soft skills are equally important as hard skills”, he said.
The ceremony included a video footage and an exhibition by students
who attended the 17th annual student trip organized for outstanding
students at the university. This year, the students had visited Malaysia
and Singapore. The students displayed the souvenirs they collected
from the countries and showcased the culture and social life of the
countries they visited. The students expressed their gratitude for the
university for having given the opportunity to participate in the annual student trips considering their excellence in academic and extracurricular fields.
Specialists in Endocrinopathies in Thalassemia Meet
this symposium. This is in addition to more than 100 participants
from the health sector in Oman comprising physician, nurses and
support service members. Speaking to media, H.E Dr. Hilal Bin Ali
Al Hinai said: “This symposium is held for the first time in the Sultanate and we are proud of the doctors, researchers and all those
who are working in the health sector to join the global group in
the field of scientific research through organizing such symposium
which are of great importance for professionals and interested.”
Child Health Department at College of Medicine and Health sciences
and SQU Hospital hosted the 7th International Network of Clinicians
for Endocrinopathies in Thalassemia and Adolescent Medicine (ICETA), which was held in Al Fahem Hall at SQU Cultural Center on 20
December. The event was held under the patronage of H.E Dr. Hilal Bin
Ali Al Hinai, Secretary General of the Research Council, in the presence
of H.E Dr. Ali Al-Bimani, Vice Chancellor of SQU, and a number of
physicians and specialists.
Prof. Dr. Yasser Wali, Head of Child Health Department & Chair of the
organizing committee of the event, mentioned that several specialists
from Italy, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman had participated in
Prof. Dr. Yasser Wali said that the event was aimed at acquainting with the latest scenario about endocrinopathies in Thalassemia
and discuss the early diagnosis and developed treatment for this
disease. This symposium is considered as an opportunity for clinicians specialized in Child Health to know what’s new in Thalassemia. The symposium was sponsored by Novartis. Nine keynote
speakers participated in the symposium from inside and outside
the Sultanate. The symposium included four sessions. The practical objectives of ICET-A are to encourage and guide endocrinological follow up of multi-transfused patients in developing countries
and support collaborative research in this field, to promote and
support collaborative research in this field, and train more endocrinologists and other pediatricians and physicians to prevent and
improve management of the growth and endocrine complications
in these patients.
P3
30 December 2014
Insight
Keeping Close Watch
on Crab Plovers
Migration route of one bird which returned from the breeding ground to Barr Al Hikman along
the west coast of the Arabian Gulf through Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and UAE.
Dr. Kwarteng said that in their study, the researchers attached solar-powered global positioning system (GPS)trackers to Crab Plovers to study their movement and ecological behavior. “The GPS tracking system which weighs
12 grams consists of a GPS receiver, microprocessor, 32MB
memory stick for data storage, solar panel and battery.
When the solar-powered GPS-logger is within a range of 5
kilometers, it communicates with a base station via a Zigbee Bluetooth wireless connection, transmitting data and
receiving new measurement programs”, he said. The GPS
tracker which continues to measure data at pre-set intervals measures and stores the following parameters: (1) GPS
locations and altitude, (2) speed and direction, (4) accelerometer data, (3) animal behavior, and (4) environmental
conditions (e.g., temperature and pressure). According to
Dr. Kwarteng, the device will fall off at the end of the research period or when not functioning properly without
any harm to the bird.
Movement to and from Barr Al Hikman to breeding ground in northwest Arabian Gulf by a
Crab Plover. The dots indicate recorded signals from the GPS-tracker.
In December 2013, data from five Crab Plovers were downloaded and analyzed. The five birds travelled from Barr Al
Hikman to their breeding colonies in northwest Arabian
Gulf and back. They all followed a similar migration route
to the breeding islands situated in Iran, Iraq and Kuwait in
northwest Arabian Gulf. The birds started their northward
migration over the Wahiba Sands (Sharqiya Sands) and Al
Hajar Mountain range which they crossed at an altitude of
around 2000 m above mean sea level. They flew over the
Straits of Hormuz to the east coast of Arabian Gulf. From
then onwards, they followed a northward coastal route, occasionally making stopovers up to several weeks at known
breeding colonies on the southern coast of Iran. “The time
that the birds stayed on the breeding islands was too short
to successfully breed and raise a chick. On the southwards
migration back to Barr Al Hikman, the birds mostly followed similar coastal route on the eastern part of the Gulf.
However one bird followed a route on the western side of
the Arabian Gulf along the coast of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Between
UAE and Oman, it few more than 700 km over the desert
land”, Dr. Kwarteng observed.
As part of an ongoing The Research Council (TRC) sponsored project, scientists from
Sultan Qaboos University and NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research are
studying Crab Plovers migration, breeding, staging and wintering areas within the
West Asian–East African flyway region. Crab Plovers (Dromas ardeola) are prominent
waders of desert coasts with their breeding populations confined to a few colonies in
the northwestern Indian Ocean which is part of the West Asian-East African flyway.
Dr. Andy Y. Kwarteng, Remote Sensing and GIS Center, Sultan Qaboos University,
who is leading the research said that Barr Al Hikman area in the Sultanate, is home to
about 7000-9000 Crab Plovers accounting for about 10-15% of the world’s Crab Plover
population. “This bird could be considered as iconic species for Oman and the Middle
East in general. The species ranks very high on birdwatchers wish-to-see list when
they visit Oman”.
The onset of northward migration from Barr Al Hikman
was different for the individuals. The first bird started
migrating at the beginning of March; the second by midMarch; the third individual by mid-April; and the fourth
and fifth in early May. Dr. Kwarteng said: “The departure
pattern from Barr Al Hikman to the breeding ground confirmed our previous observation about the paucity of Crab
Plovers after March. All the individuals arrived at the Barr
Al Hikman area from their breeding colonies in October.
Field observations indicate that upon arrival at Barr Al
Hikman, Crab Plovers experience different food conditions, with numerical crab densities fluctuating up to a factor of 40”.
Barr Al Hikman is a vast pristine coastal wetland in the Sultanate of Oman that belongs to the world’s most undisturbed tropical intertidal ecosystems. The area supports large numbers of shorebirds and benthic invertebrates, offers safe foraging place
for turtles and serves as nursery ground for fishes. The Ministry of Environment and
Climate Affairs and other relevant ministries are currently putting together the necessary documentation that will result in the area being declared a nature reserve by a
Royal Decree. Scientific knowledge of the community ecology including birds migration at Barr Al Hikman is important for conservation management and biodiversity
protection in Oman and globally.
The three-year research project will continue to monitor
the movement of several Crab Plovers as well as their relations with seagrass beds and crab abundance at Barr Al
Hikman. The mapping of seagrass beds from satellite images will provide data about any potential changes over
time. Dr. Kwarteng hopes that a better appreciation of the
role of predators such as crabs as well as the variations in
seagrass within ecosystems may help to better focus where
conservation and management is most needed.
30 December 2014
P4
Mind Over Matter
(1) wrong translation, (2) grammar and spelling errors, (3) problems
of writing mechanics, (4) picture-word mismatch, and (5) the use of
transliteration.
[1] Wrong translation: The Arabic equivalents are incorrect or inaccurate, such as: (1) the English word “island” translated as “grass”; the
English word “ ship” translated as “seas”. The Arabic word matches
the picture but the English word does not, for example: (1) The intended word is “watch”, whereas the incorrect word given is “clock”;
(2) The intended word is “means of transport”, whereas the incorrect
word given is “vehicles”.
Killing English with
Good Intentions?
By: Dr. Abdulmoneim Mahmoud
College of Arts & Social Sciences
Department of English
Selling English in Groceries
Almost all textbooks, references and other related materials used in English
language teaching (ELT) in educational institutions are deemed to have
been designed by specialists in the field. Therefore, one rarely questions the
safety of these materials. Reputable publishing houses compete to publish
quality language materials written by ELT experts. However, in addition to
the ELT materials officially used in schools, there are ‘commercial’ ones on
sale in bookshops. These include: coursebooks, notes, companions, posters
and cards. A quick browse through such materials reveals that many of
them are not designed by ELT specialists, especially those with anonymous
authors, (e.g. ‘teach yourself’ books). In some materials, neither an author
nor a publisher is shown. In this article I intend to shed light on one kind
of such commercial ELT materials - namely bilingual vocabulary posters
- with the aim of pinpointing some of their drawbacks. These posters are
printed and distributed by some local bookshops in some Arab countries.
They are sold even in groceries and supermarkets.
The posters are intended to contribute to the learning of English as a foreign language, but they inadvertently militate against the process. They are
intended to teach vocabulary directly as a list of related words out of context. The words presented are mostly common concrete nouns. Each English word is accompanied by its Arabic equivalent and a coloured picture.
A poster looks like a page in a classified pictorial supplement in a bilingual
dictionary. This technique might help learners develop passive vocabulary,
which will, hopefully, become active upon repeated encounter in context.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
A positive point to be recorded in favour of the ELT posters is that the words
are grouped according to themes, (e.g. Animals, Birds, Flowers, Machines,
Insects, Musical Instruments, Sports Games, Vegetables, etc...). Words go
close together in the human mind hence such grouping is in line with the
logic of everyday life. Another advantage is that two vocabulary teaching
techniques are combined: using pictures and translation. The pictures in
these posters are coloured. Each picture is separately set in a frame with the
accompanying English and Arabic words. The use of pictures in ELT posters as a visual aid is an effective teaching technique and the first language
has an important role to play in foreign language teaching. The use of translation is in line with the learners’ ‘psycho-comparative operations’, that is,
their natural tendency to relate the foreign language words and structures
to those of the mother tongue.
A Snake in the Grass
The advantages of thematic organization and those of using pictures and
translation are, unfortunately, counterbalanced by a number of drawbacks:
[2] Grammar Problems: Most of the grammar problems are related
to the use of the definite article and noun number. The main types of
article mistakes are: (a) The definite article not used in English
when it is required; (b) Using the Arabic article with some of the
nouns and not with others in the same poster; (c) Using the definite
article in Arabic even with transliterated nouns. Number mistakes fall
into three main categories: (a) The English noun is singular, the Arabic
equivalent is pluralized and vice versa; (b) The plural noun in English
is either incorrect or not required; (c) Using the singular in
English when the plural form is required.
[3] Writing Mechanics: (a) Incorrect spelling: *dear (= deer) , *plam (=
palm) , *graey (= grey) , *dragfly (= dragonfly) , *snowyowl (= snowowl). (b) Separation of the two constituents of compound words:
*home work, *police man; *butter fly.
[4] Picture-Word Mismatch: In some posters, some pictures do not
match the English words under them in one of three ways: [a] The
noun is singular while the picture shows two animals or objects. For
example, there are two birds, sardines, and kids in the picture but the
names are singular (canary bird, sardine, kid); [b] The picture shows
only one item but the noun is plural. For example, although a picture depicts only one valley, it is labelled as *valleys; [c] Although one
word is listed, the related picture shows two or more different items.
In such cases, the learners might make their own incorrect associations. For example, a picture showing a carpenter (a man standing
by a table and using a file) is labelled as “man”. A cup, a spoon and a
plate appear in a picture labelled “cup”.
[5] Transliteration: In some cases, the Arabic equivalent is a mere
transliteration of the English word, that is, the English word is given
in Arabic letters. For example, the words tanker, fork-lift, buffalo.
Although some of these transliterations are familiar to most Arabic
speakers, they may lead to the incorrect pronunciation of the English
words. In other words, the Arabic pronunciation may be carried over
to English. In case of unfamiliar transliterations, the learners may face
the problem of meaning besides the pronunciation problem.
[6] Other Problems: In addition to the problems listed above, there
are other problems such as the use of unfamiliar Arabic words and
phrases instead of more common ones.
In a Word
In spite of the advantages of thematic organization and the use of
a combination of two vocabulary teaching techniques (pictures and
translation), thematic pictorial vocabulary lists suffer from some serious drawbacks. The errors and inaccuracies in these posters render them dangerous to the students’ linguistic health. They indicate
that these osters were not designed by ELT specialists. This is also
evidenced by the fact that no author is willing to shoulder the responsibility by putting their name on any poster. Needless to say,
the anonymous authors of these posters are destroying what qualified ELT teachers and specialists are painstakingly trying to develop.
Experts in ELT have to be consulted before the shops are inundated
with such hazardous materials that are detrimental to the learners’
language. Meanwhile, it is incumbent upon English language teachers and specialists to warn students against using these posters and,
indeed, against any ELT material on sale with an anonymous author.
P5
30 December 2014