Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com
Posted in:
Culture & Society
Written By: Zaid al-Alaya’a
Article Date: Aug 25, 2007 - 8:04:41 AM
The US Embassy is extending its program for educational and cultural exchange in Yemen, in the hopes of minimizing the cultural gap between the two countries and eliminating misunderstandings. The Yemen Observer met with Assistant Public Affairs officer Megan Goodfellow to learn more about the new programs.
Yemen Observer: Could you please tell us briefly about the new programs the US Embassy offers in Yemen?
Megan Goodfellow: The Public Diplomacy section offers a wide range of different educational exchange opportunities. These range from very precise and educationally-based programs, such as the Fulbright, which offers the opportunity to get a Masters Degree or PhD in the US, to what we call the International Visitor Program, which sends about twenty participants every year to spend two to three weeks in the United States. Almost every field of study is covered, including journalism, women’s rights, judicial reforms, cultural studies, public health, and accounting.
YO: Why aren’t applied sciences included in the programs, even though they are important?
MG: Actually, there are a lot of different things that determine this. One determining factor is the limitations of the programs themselves. Licensing restrictions in some schools, like medicine or pharmacology, that can’t be obtained in the US, as you cannot license someone from another country.
YO: Are the programs in Yemen the same as programs in other countries?
MG: There are some programs that differ from one country to another, but other programs are offered in many countries. The Fulbright, for example, is one of the largest programs the US State Department offers. Others are regional and some may be specific only to Yemen. We have a number of programs that target youth within this region. The MEPI (Middle East Partnership Initiative) Summer Youth Leadership Institute specifically targets high school students and undergraduate students from this region, allowing them to do a six-week leadership program through the institute at universities in the United States.
YO: What are the criteria used in selecting people for the programs? Does the Yemeni government impose any sort of pressure for specific students to be accepted into these programs?
MG: The criteria depend on the program. Some programs may require the TOEFL (Test of English as a Second Language). This is true of the Fulbright program. Students need to take the standardized test in order to be accepted to universities in the US. For other programs, like the International Visitor Program, there are opportunities for which no English language is required at all. Some of the programs can have full Arabic translation. As for outside pressure in selecting participants: it is a fully transparent process for each one of the exchange opportunities we offer. For the Summer Youth Leadership program I just mentioned, we received a lot applications, and as we went through the initial screening, we didn’t even look at the names. The only thing we looked at initially were the essays describing why they wanted to participate in the programs. Any pressure that might come from the individual or someone connected to the individual would not be helpful in selecting him/her.
YO: What are the other programs in which you have direct interaction with the Yemeni government?
MG: The Chargé D’Affaires, Angie Bryan, just had a great meeting with the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Saleh Ali Ba Surrah, to discuss interaction in these kinds of exchange programs. We welcomed the minister to invite someone to participate in some other selection committees if they would like to have a voice in this. We want to be sure the opportunities we provide are in the best interest of Yemen. If there are specific areas of study that are particularly important and necessary for Yemen, we welcome that kind of input from the government.
YO: What are the benefits of these programs, both for Yemen and the US?
MG: There are tremendous benefits to both countries. One of the main goals of the Public Diplomacy Section is enhancing mutual understanding between the Yemeni people and the American people. There are so many misconceptions in the media today. One of the great things about these programs is that they really allow people to have first-hand experience and understanding. When someone from Yemen participates in one of these programs, they no longer rely on what they have heard from other people or what they have seen on TV and in movies to educate themselves about the United States. There themselves, they eat the food, they talk to the people, they understand the culture and how it works. Not only that, but every American that they have the opportunity to interact with leaves with a better understanding of Yemen and Yemeni people. That is such a significant benefit to the American people who may not always have a lot of information about Yemen. Everyone we select is a sort of ambassador for his country.
YO: Do you keep in touch with participants once the program is finished? Is there any sort of follow-up?
MG: We are actually looking to expand our alumni contacts for the exchange programs. It is something that is important to us and we consider it a sort of an extended family. Something we would like to hear from all the exchange alumni is how has the visit affected them personally and professionally as well as how it changed the way they view the United States. What impact did it have in their lives and in the lives of their family and friends here after they came back and shared their experiences with them.
YO: What about the cooperation with the Ministry of Education in terms of English language teaching?
MG: We’re actually proud of ourselves for having good, open relationships with both the Minister of Higher Education and the Minister of Education. We have had discussions about the kinds of programs that we offer and about enhancing and broadening our interactions. There are many people that are not aware of the broad range of programs we offer. We would like to let people know more about all of the different opportunities the US Embassy provides.
YO: What exchange opportunities or programs do you have for English language schools and universities in Yemen?
MG: We have Yemen American Language Institute. We also have the Fulbright program that I mentioned before, which not only sends Yemenis to the US, but also brings Americans here to Yemen every year for research. We have the English Language Fellow Program, which brings two to three teachers from the United States with Masters Degrees in Teaching English as a Second Language to Yemen, and they can provide English language teaching opportunities as well. We have the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program, which sends approximately four Yemenis to the United States for a full year so they can not only learn the methodologies and strategies for how to teach English better, but they also help to improve mutual understanding and can teach Arabic to students in universities in the US. We also have the Fulbright post-Doctorate Program and the Humphrey Fellowships, which both bring accomplished, mid-level professionals from designated countries that have a wide range of development needs to the US. The Undergraduate Exchange Program sends undergraduate Yemenis to the US for a semester or an academic year. This is the first year we have offered this program and the students will leave this week. We also have the Access Program, which takes underprivileged youth who couldn’t otherwise afford the fees charged by YALI and Amideast, and offer them English language training free of charge. The YES Program sends Yemeni students to the US for one year to study in a public school stay with a host family. We have brought a number of people from the United States to Yemen throughout the years.
YO: What about the grants that you offer in the Embassy?
MG: We have a number of grant opportunities available through the Embassy. The Public Diplomacy Section has small grants that we administer. We also have MEPI which announced an open competition for proposals to continue the Middle East Entrepreneur Training program for business and civil society leaders in the Middle East and North Africa.
YO: Why has the US decided to expand the exchange programs in Yemen and other Arab countries?
MG: We do everything we can with Washington to have new programs and new opportunities so that more people can participate in educational and cultural programs to enhance mutual understanding. We would like to talk to any person who participates in these programs and ask them what they expected the US to be like before they went and what they think of the US upon returning. I wish we could send more people. It is a long-term investment in human capital. If you buy a computer for someone, he/she will use it for some years but eventually it will break and has to be replaced. But if we can invest in a person, in their education, in their cultural expansion, that investment keeps growing and keeps giving. For every person that receives an education in the United States, they are able to come back to Yemen to use that knowledge to better themselves, their life, their family, their culture, their society and every person that is reached by them. The investment continues to grow.
YO: What do you think about the demonstrations at YALI from students who are unhappy with prices and poor teacher performance?
MG: Every time I meet someone here in Yemen who speaks beautiful English I ask them where they studied and every person says they studied English at YALI. For almost 30 years, YALI has been the most prominent establishment in the entire country for learning English. I think it is the same today that it was five or 10 years ago. The embassy is proud of our history and involvement with YALI, and we would love to see that relationship enhanced. I have had the pleasure of attending two YALI graduation ceremonies, and I am always so impressed with every single student that graduates with critical thinking ability, English, and with their open-minded approach not only to relations between the US and Yemen, but to life in general. I think it is a real life-changing experience for the students who have the opportunity to study there. Everyone that I’ve talked to wouldn’t trade that for any other institute. With regard to the level of teachers that are teaching in YALI, I haven’t heard any complaints about them. The teachers that I’ve met have been particularly impressive and from our talks with the administration, I know they have the highest standards for their students, for their teachers, and for members of the administration.
YO: Where do you put the students of all the different programs? Is there a plan to help them adjust to the culture more quickly?
MG: It depends on the program. For some of the shorter programs, like the International Visitor Program, they stay in selected hotels and everything is paid for by the State Department. The financial burden will never be put upon the participants themselves. In a three-week program for the International Visitor Program, a participant may visit three different states and have the opportunity to see different part of the US, but they will always stay in hotels provided by the State Department. In some of the International Visitor Programs, there is also an opportunity to have dinner with a family so they can better understand the family structure and food. In other programs, such as the YES Program, participants live with an American host-family. For university programs, participants may stay in a dormitory. If there is anything the participants reports as a complaint, we report the complaint to Washington. We have people at Amideast who are trained to educate people about opportunities in the US and to help those people decide which field of study will be most appropriate for them.
YO: Where did you serve before and what did you think about Yemen so far?
MG: This is my first term with the State Department. I have been pleased with every meeting we have been able to have with members of the different ministries. We found everyone to be wonderfully open, accommodating, and helpful to us. This is my first two-year assignment with the State Department and Yemen was my first choice. I couldn’t be happier to be here right now. The first seven months of my tour have been so wonderful. Yemenis have been everything I hoped. They are wonderful hosts and very warm and very welcoming. It has been a tremendous opportunity and I am happy to continue.
