Private Businessman Continues lobbying for private school

January 12, 4 pm.

Private Businessman Continues lobbying for private school

KM Correspondent

The private promoter of the Seeb-Al Hail area, Oman has been continuing his campaign to exert considerable political pressure on the Indian Ambassador in Muscat K.M. Meena, who is equally determined to prevent misuse of the school by private businessmen who have been amassing huge amount of profit by fleezing ordinary Indians in the Gulf. Kerala Member of Parliament, P.C.Thomas has already send two letters to the Foreing Minister recommending that the private promoter gets the new school. The private promoter is visiting New Delhi at least twice in a week to lobby for the private school.

The protracted tussle between the Indian Ambassador and the private business groups led by George Mathew, owner of George Mathew and Company auditing firm, Muscat is continuing with the latter trying to get support from a number of prominent Indian businessman in Muscat. Politicians from Kerala and New Delh who shed lot of crockodiles tear about the well being of Indians in the Gulf are also continuing their interference to ensure that the private promoters make more money by commercialising education.

Even though their 'private interest' in encouraging private schools in the Gulf is crystal clear, the political leaders in India including the Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh are being misguided through different means. Even though the high cost of education is one of the major problems facing large number of ordinary Indian families in the Gulf, the Central Government has not even touched the subject of high school fees in any of its recent studies.

The prominent Indians in Oman who have send recommendations to the Indina Ambassador to allow new school to the private promoter include Dr. C Thomas, Director of Khoula Hospital, who is arlready an Omani citizen. Others who have interest in promoting private schools include Dr. P. Mohammed Ali, promoter of Al Ghubra School, which has been fleezing ordinary Indian families with the highest fees charged by all the Indian Schools. Even though the Indian School Al Ghubra is the only Indian private school in Oman, the manner in which a former ambassador signed a dubious Memorandum of Understanding on the dotted lines dictated by the private promoter on the last day of his transfer to another country is not known to many parents.

The favours shown by the former Ambassadors include a provision that the private promoter himself selects the auditor and that the school audit reports, a crucial document showing the financial details of school functioning, is not to be made public. Even though Dr.Mohammed Ali is one of the great Indians in the Gulf, a humanist and a generous philanthropist concerned about the welfare of ordinary Indians, the manner in which he has been fleezing the Indian parents shows the spirit of real businessman in him. His private school business has been one of the major source of income for the last several years. He would definitely be happy to see all Indian schools in Oman going to the hands of private individuals like himself or George Mathew. Other prominent Indians that have supported the cause of private schools in Oman include one Dr. Sandeep Aroora, Dr. Basheer (Another Indian who has assumed Omani citizen), Mr. Vaikunt and Mr.Prem Maker. While six of the businessman who have recommended a private school are not Indian citizens, others private interests are public knowledge.

Further, the private promoter has been undertaking a massive signature campaign among the members of the local Church, Social Clubs and others. So far he has produced more than 2000 signatures to the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. However, most of the signatories are members of the Church who are residing in Ruwi area. It may be noted that the new school is expected to come up Al Hail area, which lies hundreds of miles away from Ruwi. Residents of Al Hail area are mainly industrial workers who earn less than RO 200 per month. Not many signatores are known to have procured from these ordinary parents. Due to this campaign, politicians in New Delhi will believe that all the Indians in Oman want to send their children only to private schools.

A letter written by one so called parent in the local media is a clear evidence showing the manipulation of public opionion through perverted means. Mr.A.Salam, from Mathra, has said in a letters to the editor column that he wants only a private school due to the various advantages of sending his child to a private school. He claimed that he is one of the several parents who have taken advance admission in the Seeb private school, leaving doubts in public mind as to the reasons why a parent like A.Salam residing in Mattrah has to send his child all the way to Al Hail for getting quality education from a private school.?

Now people have every reason to suspect that the so called survey conducted by the private promoter himself, among the parents in the area was not an objective one. Some sources allege that the former Indian Ambassador Jagjit Singh sanctioned a private school going out of his way. Former Ambassadors are known to have obtained private material interests from the private Indian businessman in Oman. People say that one Ambassador was give a new house, a car, dowry for his daughter and what not. What he gave in return is also public knowledge. The Indian community organisations are also playing their due role in supporting the private promoters.