Number of students in classroom exceeds limit at 549 schools

Muscat: The number of students in classrooms exceeded the approved limit in 549 schools in Oman, the State Audit Institution (SAI) Annual Report has revealed.

Besides this, 54 schools in Oman were found to be aged and with poor structural conditions.

“This apart 148,000 students were affected by decreased learning time as a result of the constant increase in the number of evening schools by 194% in 2022, compared to the situation in 2015, as the number of students reached 54,772 in public evening schools at a rate exceeded 400% during the same period,” the report said.

The teaching load on teachers increased by more than 37% in the year 2021 as a result of the employment of only 475 male and female teachers during the period (2015-2022) due to the non-availability of financial grades for appointments, in addition to the delay in localising teachers appointed outside their areas of residence.