More than 1,000 enrol for German language classes

Muscat: More than 1,000 people have enrolled in German language classes in the Sultanate, according to senior officials at the German Embassy in Muscat.
The figures were revealed at an event announcing an upcoming study trip for 15 students of the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech).
“Congratulations to the students selected for this course,” Joachim Dusster, First Counsellor for Political, Cultural and Academic Affairs at the German Embassy, told the Times of Oman.
“It is a recognition of their outstanding performance in German language classes. This is even more commendable since German is not their main subject – they are students of engineering, geosciences, computer science, and business management.”
The group, comprising 12 female and 3 male students, will travel to GUtech’s partner university in Germany, RWTH Aachen University, in August 2018 to attend a three-week German Language and Culture Course.
The students come from the departments of engineering, international business management, logistics, applied geosciences and computer science.
“I wish to emphasise that the opportunity to do summer courses in Germany is not limited to students of GUtech,” said Dusster.
“The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Embassy will encourage students from other universities in Oman to apply for similar courses.”
German is taught at three Omani universities – SQU, Nizwa University, and GUtech – as well as at the Oman Tourism Centre and in five public schools.
The German Language Centre in Sarooj, operated by Goethe-Institut, also runs German classes at different levels, holds exams, and issues language certificates.
DAAD, Goethe-Institut, and the German Embassy all promote and support the teaching of German as a foreign language in the Sultanate.
The annual study trip has been conducted since 2009. Its main aim is to introduce the students to life in Germany and to student life at the RWTH Aachen University. DAAD is funding the study trip.
The DAAD grants provide GUtech students with an opportunity to enhance their German language competence. Out of more than 100 submitted applications for the course, 15 of them successfully passed the two-stage selection procedure. They will be accompanied in Germany by two GUtech staff members.
The students will practise their German language skills in an authentic environment.
They will also visit academic institutes on the RWTH campus, do cultural training, and attend an international evening. They will meet other students and tutors at the university and enjoy educational trips to Maastricht, Cologne, and Bonn.