Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Omar Altalib. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Omar, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.

Most of what passes for education around the world does not fulfill social needs. It can be characterized as a failure in many respects.

Education can be improved in the following ways: Parents ought to be given more choice. Parents should be able to decide which school their child is sent to. The student should not be restricted to a government-imposed local school, and we should stop the administrators that only allow the student to go to one particular school.

Furthermore, education dollars need to be given to the student, not the school. This is how the United States Pell Grant system operates at the university level. A college student applies for a federal grant. When approved, the grant is paid to the university that is chosen by the student. The same should be done for Kindergarten through high school level students.

Another improvement that is necessary for education is to increase the power of the teachers and decrease the powers of the administration. The teacher should have the final choice in terms of which students are in her class. She should also have a greater degree of control over the curriculum and the length of the class and the location of the classroom.

Experiential education should also be expanded and made a standard element in all education. Experiential education involves a process where the teacher works with the students in ways that the student ‘experiences’ the course material, rather than the standard class lecture. Experiences may include classes held at a local park, visits to the zoo and museums, as well as going to universities to experience surveys and experiments held live, with direct student involvement taking place.

Omar, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always been committed to helping the underserved and the weaker elements in society. In college I was involved with Habitat for Humanity and with Amnesty International. I learned early on that effective social change requires getting organized and being organized. However, establishing an organization, by itself, is not enough. There have to be partnerships between the corporate world and the nonprofit sector. I became a consultant after working for a Fortune 500 corporation; SAIC. I learned that there is always a trade-off between high-cost high quality, on the one hand, and low-cost greater impact on the other hand. I provide research, translation, and education services. I solve the educational and parenting needs of my clients. What sets me apart from others is my unique skill set: Bilingual, multicultural, international and multimodal: I bridge the divide between theory and practice. I am most proud of my service in Baghdad, Iraq. I helped the Iraqi Ministry of Education with rehabilitation, teacher training and curriculum reform. The main things I want potential clients to know about me is that I can provide practical solutions that work in the short term and long term, and that take into account the strengths of a diverse and dynamic employee pool.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The best books that have impacted my life are the following:

Milton Friedman: Capitalism & Freedom
Friedrich Hayek: Road to Serfdom
Thomas Sowell: Basic Economics
Robert Nozick: Anarchy, State & Utopia
Democracy in America: Alexis de Tocqueville
Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged
The God of the Machine: Isabel Paterson

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I had a very difficult time during the first Gulf War in 1990-1991. Many of my friends in Kuwait were hurt and displaced and lost their homes and jobs. Many of my relatives and friends in Iraq were forced by the Iraqi dictatorship into the army and sent to fight in Kuwait. Many of my fellow Americans in the United States were influenced by some of the hateful rhetoric against Arabs and Muslims. The news coverage in the media was problematic: It was either non-stop gloom and doom, or snippets of analysis that were frequently incorrect. I was able to overcome the trials that I faced during this difficult period by renewing my faith and trust in my Creator, engaging with my fellow Muslims in the mosque, and reaching out to members of the larger community through educational and informational programs. In order to confront the racism around me against Islam, Muslims, Arabs, and the Arab world, I distributed teacher training materials that are historically accurate and that show the great accomplishments of Arabs and Muslims.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.consultomar.com
• Instagram: oaltalib
• Facebook: oaltalib
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• Youtube: omar altalib
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