Oman-based educator honoured with British national award by UK

Energy Saturday 09/June/2018 21:01 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman-based educator honoured with British national award by UK

Muscat: Oman-based educator Jane Jaffer has been awarded a Member of British Empire (MBE) medal for her service to education.
Jaffer expressed delight at being part of this year’s MBE list, which includes over 1,000 people recognised for their selfless service to society in various fields. The award is formally granted by the Queen of England, Elizabeth II.
Regarding the honour, Jaffer said, “I feel honoured to have received this prestigious award. However, I feel unworthy and humbled at receiving this honour. It feels great to have your work recognised by people.”
Jaffer is the leader of the Let’s Read Programme in Oman. Let’s Read set up the Maktabati programme in 2013. Under the scheme, the ‘Maktabati bus’ visits schools in 22 regions across Oman, including Muscat, the Batinah coast, Al Dakhiliyah, Al Dhahirah and Salalah, and books are provided to children at affordable prices.
She said that she had become passionate about education because it was essential to children’s lives, adding that it had become her vocation.
Passion for education
“One can’t live without a purpose, and I felt fortunate to have found a passion for education, which gave me a sense of satisfaction. I spent some 12 years teaching nursery children and a few more teaching primary school kids. It was great to encourage kids to read and develop reading skills.
“I’ve had quite a few fond memories with these kids and friends. It has been a lot of fun, but setting up the mobile library was perhaps the highlight, if I had to pick one,” Jaffer remarked.
Jaffer moved to Oman in 1980 as a primary school teacher from Blackheath, England. She eventually set up a nursery at the British School in 1987.
Jaffer created the Let’s Read Programme, under the auspices of Dar Al Atta’a, in January 2007. The aim of the programme is to promote a love of reading to children in Oman.
Let’s Read supports reading initiatives by visiting schools to tell stories and talk about the importance of reading and writing. The programme has also created playrooms and libraries in hospitals, schools and other institutions.
In 2014, Jaffer and her team set up Oman’s first charity book shop. The Let’s Read Book Shop, in the Al Qurum Complex, is staffed by local volunteers. All books are donated and sold at between OMR1 to OMR2.
Jaffer has written several books, including Women on the Edge, Dana and the Dolphin, Scent of a Rose, Memoirs of an Omani Gentleman from Zanzibar, Love in the Time of Zanzibar and Sariya and the Turtles.