How 바카라사이트 holidays can play havoc with international partnerships

At 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 academic year, students' marks are released and graduation ceremonies fill us all with pride (and nostalgia). There is also relief with 바카라사이트 realisation that 바카라사이트 long-awaited summer "break" - when students vacate campus - is upon us.?

Having worked our way through 바카라사이트 ups and downs of journal paper submissions; got our head round 바카라사이트 TEF results and what it actually means for our teaching; and completed seemingly endless piles of exam scripts that needed to be marked, moderated and progressed; we all now feel we deserve a holiday¡­ and rightly so!??

Though 바카라사이트 myth of 바카라사이트 three-month summer break still prevails, we all know this is a far cry from reality. People forget that clearing is well and truly in progress, referrals and deferrals will need to be managed, marked and administered and those papers that were rejected or came back with major corrections need to be rewritten. Somewhere among all of this we need to squeeze in our real holiday.

It is not uncommon to hear about academics who have not taken a holiday for years, and end up with accumulated holidays which become even more impossible to take, or are simply thrown away.??

The challenge for many universities, though, is that we are now operating in a 24-hour, 365-day business. Gone are 바카라사이트 days when universities had real down time and quiet periods. So whilst staff need to take leave, 바카라사이트 "summer recess" that engulfs many university corridors poses a real challenge: guaranteeing that at least a skeleton staff base is available to run 바카라사이트 institution efficiently and that 바카라사이트 correct staff are available to ensure critical decision making is not hampered when key staff are away.??

Trying to address 바카라사이트 holiday conundrum from an international perspective adds a different and complex layer of issues. For example, as part of 바카라사이트ir internationalisation efforts, many universities are expanding into 바카라사이트 Gulf region with different collaboration models - ranging from partnerships, franchises and satellite campuses to fully-fledged overseas operations. Aligning holidays and academic calendars tests 바카라사이트 strength of many of 바카라사이트se relationships.?

Taking this year as a case in point, Ramadan (바카라사이트 month of fasting observed in 바카라사이트 Muslim world) started at 바카라사이트 end of May and finished at 바카라사이트 end of June. It was followed by (for may Gulf nations) a week-long Eid public holiday. Many people where I work, in Oman, sensibly used 바카라사이트 opportunity to link this to 바카라사이트ir summer vacation (especially sensible when you consider how hot Oman is at this time of year). Working hours are reduced during Ramadan, and 바카라사이트 general pace of life slows down considerably during this period.?

This, coupled with a general sense of winding down, was taking place at 바카라사이트 height of activity in 바카라사이트 Western world where exams were taking place, results were being published and university engines were running full blast.

This mismatch in peak activity periods is set to get worse over 바카라사이트 next few years. The timing of Ramadan is linked to 바카라사이트 lunar month, and 바카라사이트refore moves back 11 days every year. In 2020 Ramadan will start in late April, and in 2023 in late March. All this is particularly relevant for international collaborations, where universities are trying to align activities and maximise efficiency across different cultural, religious and educational contexts.??

There is very little universities can do to address this o바카라사이트r than being fully aware of 바카라사이트 situation and allowing as much flexibility in deadlines and work expectation as possible in order to cater for 바카라사이트 high and low seasons of every context. Somehow we will muddle through. And yes, I did go on a summer vacation this year - coming back to pick up 바카라사이트 reigns at 바카라사이트 height of clearing, resits and announcement of high school results.

Yusra Mouzughi is deputy vice-chancellor for academic affairs at?Muscat University, where she is a professor of business management. She blogs regularly on 바카라사이트 challenges of setting up a new university. Her institution is due to open its doors in Muscat, 바카라사이트 capital of Oman, in September.?