Saturday, November 6, 2010 / Dhul-Qaada 28, 1431 AH

Tributes to Oman’s education sector

Sat, 06 November 2010

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has, since the launch of the blessed Renaissance in 1970,
attached top priority to the development of human
resources through education and training. Indeed, the
main success factor for Oman has been in the
development of its human capital — Omani citizens of
every age and background.
In this context, it is heartening to note that the UN 2010
Human Development Report has listed Oman at the top
of 135 countries that have made the greatest progress in
human development on the basis of education, public
health and per capita income.
Experts say it is indeed an honour to have the
recognition from the world’s highest body for Oman’s impressive milestones in the
field of education. But it is at the same time not very surprising because the government
of His Majesty the Sultan has invested heavily in the country’s educational sector, for
development of its human capital — Omani citizens of every age and background.
When the Renaissance was launched in 1970, Oman had just three schools. Today,
Oman boasts 1,283 and 90 per cent of the schools are run by the government. The total
number of students in State education is around 560,000 of whom nearly half are
female, according to data from the World Bank and Oman’s Ministry of National
Economy (MoNE). There are presently 132 private schools in Oman, educating some
25,000 students.
Since his accession to the throne in 1970, one of the first priorities of His Majesty the
Sultan has been to remove illiteracy, realising that education, "even if only under the
shade of a tree", was the most effective weapon against ignorance. Within the first five
months of his rule, 16 primary schools were established to educate over 9,500 pupils, a
662 per cent increase in the number of children receiving education. Additionally, girls
were able to receive free government schooling for the first time. Educational
establishments spread dramatically across the Sultanate and today there are more than a
thousand schools in the country, in addition to many universities and colleges.
In May 2000, during an official visit to Sultan Qaboos University, His Majesty the
Sultan stressed the importance of scientific research, stating in his speech, “we have to
keep abreast of development at all times.” To achieve this, His Majesty the Sultan
sanctioned an annual allocation of RO 500,000 from his own personal funds to support
scientific research programmes. His Majesty the Sultan’s firm belief in the power of
education is rooted in the teachings of the Quran: “the ignorant are not equal to those
who know.”
From time to time on different occasions, His Majesty the Sultan and his government
has announced new initiatives aimed at encouraging Omani people to take education
seriously and benefit from the fruits of modern advances.
During his meet-the-people tour in 2009, His Majesty announced an annual Royal Grant
designed to help meritorious Omani girls to pursue higher studies. Five hundred Omani
girls who obtain 80 per cent or more marks in their annual General Diploma Certificate
Examinations will be given scholarships to study in the Higher Educational Institutions
in the Sultanate. The Royal gesture will give further fillip to young and talented Omani
girls to fulfil their higher education ambitions.
Experts hail UN move
Mohammed Sajid Khan, Country Manager, ACCA Oman, says: “We are astounded and
delighted, but not surprised, to know that Oman has topped the worldwide rating of
progress in human development from among 135 countries worldwide. We would like
to congratulate this great country and its people on this remarkable achievement. It is
interesting to see that this report by the UN looked into the progress the Sultanate has
achieved compared to its situation in 1970, which is clearly attributable to the visionary
leader His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has given due importance to the
development of the most important of all the resources that is human resources. A
testimony to this fact is that about 70 per cent of the large number of students in Oman
pursuing the challenging ACCA qualification are Omanis which is a unique case in the
whole of the Gulf region. This shows the importance given here to the development of
human resources. We highly appreciate this fact and often cite this example in other
Middle Eastern countries”.
Dr Syed Bashir Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Translation and Interpretation, University
of Nizwa, says: “The UN report is a befitting reward for the Sultanate’s consistent and
continued policy of building its educational sector, providing schools in the remotest of
interior regions, including mountain tops, valleys and far-flung and sparsely populated
areas.
Ever since landing in Oman, in 1986, Dr Bashir has been an ardent observer of the
Sultanate’s Renaissance. The manner in which this country has been transformed during
the reign of its devout son, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, is amazing, he says.
The all-round reform envisioned by the Sultan have touched and transformed all aspects
of life in this country. While the emphasis has been on all aspects, including material
progress, healthcare, human resources development, and aesthetic factors in building
this lovely country and presenting the righteous image of this noble land in the eyes of
the whole world, the top priority has been to develop the Omani people through the
provision of world-class free basic education higher education as well as training to
people in all regions.
After His Majesty took the reign, the country embarked on the path of revival through
well thought out reforms and focused modernisation. Human beings has been and
remains the axis of this reform and renaissance march.”