Class sizes in Oman schools larger than the optimum, say teachers

Muscat: Delays in opening new school buildings and a higher birth rate mean Oman’s school class sizes are growing fast.
A Shura member recently expressed concern during a council session with the education minister over the “high” number of students per classroom.
He further said that the ministry should strive to have a maximum of 30 students in each class.
The minister, Madiha Al Shaibany, noted that the rise in Oman’s student population is due to “delays in some projects and the growing birth rate in the Sultanate”.
Meanwhile, Omani teachers said the number of pupils per classroom throughout the country must be reduced.
One teacher who works in a government school in Muscat said that 30 is a large number, especially for classes below grade 9.
“Reducing the number will help improve the educational process, as teachers can focus more on each individual,” she said.
Another teacher said that having 30 or more pupils in one classroom is a burden on a teacher, both inside and outside the classroom, as more students mean more paperwork and additional teaching efforts.
However, Mohammed Mustafa, an Omani teacher who spent 30 years working in Oman, said that 30 is not a large number in government schools, while urging that class sizes should not exceed that figure.
Khalid Al Farei, head of the education committee in the Majlis Al Shura, said the larger number does not cause problems in the educational process, as many developed countries also have the same, and even higher, number of pupils per classroom.
“Although we have to say that less is always better,” Al Farei noted.