Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: The Ministry of Education is set to receive more than 600,000 students of public schools today as they begin a new year of their academic life.
Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education, delivering a speech on the occasion, congratulated all educators and the new teachers who joined this year.
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“As we all start a new school year, I am pleased to congratulate you on this occasion. I pray to Allah to bless this year and to grant us all success and enable us to accomplish our ambitious goals across all levels of education, to build our country's generations to come across various fields of knowledge, and to enable them to serve their country and develop it under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, may Allah preserve and guide him,” she said.
“I am also pleased to congratulate all new teachers who joined the educational family this year, may Allah bless them and grant them success in performing their educational message, and contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the education system in the Sultanate,” she added
“The continuous progress made by our students in educational achievement, educational activities and educational competitions, as confirmed by their results in national and international tests and studies, is a source of pride for all of us, and serves as a motivation for more effort to develop their abilities, sharpen up their skills and advance their knowledge.
“Believing that the sincere efforts of the teachers and other members of the educational system and continuous efforts in performing their entrusted message were undoubtedly the main engine to highlight the energies of our students, and to take care of their talents and the development of their culture.”
Projects and programmes
She also spoke about the upcoming projects and programmes of the year. “The Ministry of Education is honoured to launch the Sultan Qaboos Award for Sustainable Development in School Environment. The award comes as an affirmation of the great attention and care of HM Sultan Qaboos in developing the capabilities of our students and taking care of all the possibilities for their education, to raise them to a balanced education and to instil in them good principles and values. The award aims to consolidate the concept of volunteering in students, to activate their roles in issues of education and sustainable development, and to equip them with the skills of the twenty-first century to deal positively with contemporary issues and challenges. The ministry hopes that this award will achieve its educational mission in stimulating the school community to address the needs of the school environment and local communities and to create sustainable solutions by investing the available resources in active partnership with the community.”
Omani teacher
She pointed out that the Ministry has completed its preparations for the launch of the “Educational Excellence Award for the Omani Teacher”.
The nominations for the first round of the award will be announced during this school year. “We hope that this award will contribute to providing the educational field with initiatives that help in improving teaching and learning processes and enable teachers to learn about various educational experiences of their colleagues from different governorates of the Sultanate,” she said.
Curriculum development
Talking about development in curriculum she said, “Since the introduction of the basic education system, the Ministry gave the subjects of science and mathematics a great deal of interest, which comes in line with the latest developments in science and technology. In order to accomplish the objectives of basic education, the ministry has taken advantage of the international experience and adopted The Global Chains project in teaching these subjects in accordance to international standards, which was applied last year for the first cycle of basic education.
“This year will see the implementation of the Global Chains project to students in the fifth and sixth grades; in order to raise the level of educational competencies of our students. This qualitative shift in the curricula comes in terms of scientific preparation, presentation method, the use of modern technologies and the use of modern theories and accelerated progress in education Science and mathematics, and providing educational content based on survey, research and problem solving.”
Highlighting the efforts in training of teachers and supervisors of these two subjects, she said,“In view of the results of the evaluation reports and the feedback that the Ministry received from teachers and educational supervisors, which emphasised the importance of expanding the training programs and the provision of supporting educational aids, the Ministry started implementing the first phase of the training plan.”
The first phase targeted all teachers of science and mathematics in the fifth and sixth grades. The Ministry will continue to implement the second phase of the training plan at the beginning of this year, to include all teachers of subjects from first to sixth grades.
Specialised Centre
Talking about the Specialised Centre for Vocational Training for Teachers she said,“The Specialized Centre for Vocational Training for Teachers continues to provide its strategic training programmes to all its staff members since its inauguration in 2014.”
“As a result, the Ministry is preparing this year to celebrate the graduation of the first batch of more than 1,800 graduates,who has successfully achieved the requirements of the various programmes offered by the Centre, which were designed by experts. It included the best international practices based on international studies and experiences that are applicable in the Omani school environment, focusing on active learning strategies, evaluation and assessment skills, and activating the role of professional learning communities in the work environment.
The Minister, praised the Centre’s trainers and cadres, as well as participants of the Centeres programmes and stressed the continuation of the Ministry to improve its programmes and improve the quality of services provided.
Private schools
The Minister of Education outlined the efforts made to improve the services provided in private schools. “The Ministry is keen to provide high quality educational services in private schools to achieve the goals and objectives of private education as a strategic partner for government education, and an important support to the Ministry’s orientations and development visions. Emphasizing the positive role of private schools in promoting values, developing students’ skills, refining their talents and providing them with useful knowledge, the ministry will start implementing the private schools classification project according to approved national and international standards.”
“The classification process will be carried out in an experimental manner in all schools of different programs through impartial teams to ensure the credibility of the evaluation. We hope that during the coming period, programs will start for identifying schools on criteria, indicators and standards for the classification process.”
In this regard, HE confirmed, “the Ministry will continue to improve the components of this sector and encourage investment in it by providing all possible support in coordination with the various concerned authorities in the Sultanate.”
Appreciation
In her concluding remarks, Dr. Madiha Al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education, thanked the teachers and all members of the educational family who are exerting double efforts to improve the educational system in the Sultanate. She extended her great thanks to students’ parents for supporting the Ministry in instilling values and good morals in students, and raising them to love learning and perseverance and regularity in their studies.
