US Embassy, Qatar Monitoring Complaints on
Dr. Joseph Ghaly, Model American International School
Soon after the Model American International School (MAIS) opened its doors in late 2008, International Schools Review began receiving disturbing reviews of the school. Through the “contact us” forms on our web site, teachers in distress wrote to tell us they had reported Dr. Ghaly and the Model American School to a variety of agencies. Following are excerpts from those “contact us” forms, all of which were submitted anonymously.
” ….The US embassy has received complaints from staff at this school and they have helped secure passports for teachers trying to leave the country.
“….Dr. Ghaly has been reported to the Ministry of Education and it is believed they have begun investigating the school.
“…. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), a prestigious US organization, has also ended ALL contracts with Dr. Ghaly/ Ghali.
” ….You should be aware the International Council for Educational Reform & Development (ICERD) is a company owned by Dr. Ghaly.”
We contacted the US embassy in Qatar for confirmation of the information we received from teachers.
Timothy F. Ponce, Consular Section Chief, returned our email almost immediately.
Dear Ben,
Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, we cannot act as a legal representative against an employer in Qatar or be party to an employment dispute. What we have been doing is monitoring the teachers’ complaints against MAIS and Dr. Ghaly. We are also assisting MAIS teachers who come to us by providing advice on Qatar’s judicial and labor complaint systems and with securing release of passports as needed. If you or your colleagues do learn of any other teachers who need assistance, please forward them this email address, the U.S. Embassy in Doha web site, http://qatar.usembassy.gov, or the U.S. Embassy phone number, [974] 496 6000.
Sincerely,
Timothy F. Ponce
Consular Section Chief
U.S. Embassy
Doha, Qatar