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American Teachers Return from Bahrain and Qatar Ready to TEACH, a Program Hosted by Bilateral US-Arab Chamber

Educators Shelby Touchy, Chad Coffey, and Rolando Sanchez chat with Bahraini students. (Photo: Business Wire)

The TEACH Fellowship, originally planned for March, was postponed until May, because of political demonstrations in Manama, the result of the "Arab Spring." Some participants expressed concern, "when I told my family, class and school district that I was selected for this fellowship to visit Bahrain and Qatar, it was the same day that protestors flooded the streets of Bahrain demanding political reforms... I didn't know how to feel or whether I should accept this opportunity," commented Shelby Touchy, a high school geography teacher from Cypress ISD. "I did accept and for months leading up to the trip my students and the whole district started following the news about Bahrain and the region. We had already learned so much about a country most of us hadn't even heard of before and I hadn't even set foot on the plane yet."

A full itinerary of public and private school and university visits, briefings at U.S. embassies in both countries, meetings with company sponsors, and cultural excursions was planned. At each visit, participants were given the opportunity to have an open dialogue with hosts, including several discussions about the current political climate in Bahrain and realistic expectations of the education system in Qatar.

Participants were amazed at the similarities between the educational systems in Bahrain and Qatar to those in the United States. A teacher at one primary school in Bahrain commented on Bahraini students' aptitude at using technology compared to their parents, saying "the students are clever" ; TEACH participants agreed, citing their own issues with students and technology in the United States. When asked about the status of teachers in Bahrain, a teacher replied that they were "respected emotionally, but not financially" ; TEACH participants nodded in agreement. Additionally, on a visit to an exclusive private school, Qatar Academy, participants expressed amazement at how the school was identical to private schools in the United States.

However, where the differences became apparent was in the progressive attitude and seemingly limitless funds both Bahrain and Qatar's educational systems espoused. During a presentation on the issues facing Bahrain's educational system, statistics were shown demonstrating a complex problem facing the country's labor force as a direct result of the issues present in the educational system. However, the school and university visits, as well as a briefing with Gulf Petrochemicals Industry Co. (GPIC), one of the TEACH sponsors, showed Bahrain's commitment, financially and systemically, to fixing the problem. Similarly, the Qatar Foundation, another sponsor, impressed participants with their one-of-a-kind Education City, a complex containing branch campuses of top universities from all over the world, including Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, and University College London. Qatar has used its countries' wealth to implement progressive and revolutionary educational plans and participants were awe-struck at the impressiveness of the campuses. The Minister of the Supreme Education Council held a briefing with participants where he discussed the emirate's plans to improve education across all levels.

Most importantly, the TEACH participants were given a glimpse into the rich and varied culture of the Middle East. The goal of TEACH is to provide educators with a basic understanding of the Middle East, allowing them to translate this first-hand experience to the classroom and influencing others to diminish stereotypes and understand a region of the world which is still foreign to most students. When asked about their favorite visit on the Fellowship, many participants were overwhelmed with the open dialogue with guest lecturer to the Fanar Cultural Center from the United Kingdom, Dr. Uthman Lateef. Other cultural excursions included visits to the Souq Waqif, Bahrain Ancient Fort, and Museum of Islamic Art. Another exciting experience for the participants was a tour of the Al Jazeera network in Doha, a network which many had used as a teaching tool during history and political science classes.

Sponsors of the Fellowship included RasGas, GPIC, Bahrain Economic Development Board, ExxonMobil, and Qatar Foundation. The participants were welcomed with open arms at all site visits and meetings with sponsors. "I was skeptical at first about the visits with the energy companies like RasGas in Qatar. But spending time with them really connected the dots on how these countries are investing their oil wealth in not only the magnificent skyscrapers and development we were seeing but in their education systems and human capacity building," noted Peter Gerlach, a Phd candidate in International Education at Syracuse University.

This was the 3^rd TEACH Fellowship hosted by the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (BUSACC), a private business association of senior executives and CEOs from the United States and Arab world. BUSACC believes mutual respect and heightened cultural awareness facilitate healthy international economic relations. We provide our members with current information on the region through seminars, workshops, education programs, trade missions, and in-bound delegations.

For more information about the TEACH Fellowship and other education programs organized by the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce, contact the Education Director at edu@bilateralchamber.org, call 713-880-8168, or visit our website: www.bilateralchamber.org.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6759759&lang=en

Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce
Hala Al-Abdulwahed, 713-880-8168