724,395 students in Oman schools

Muscat: During the 2015-16 academic year, the number of students studying in various schools in the Sultanate reached 724,395, while the number of teachers stood at 67,901, according to the data released by the National
Centre for Statistics & Information (NCSI).
Public schools account for 74.6 per cent of the total number of students at 540,068, while private schools have a share of 14.1 per cent, with 101,860 students. As many as 60,425 children, forming 8.3 per cent of the total number of students, study at various international schools and schools run by foreign communities.
As many as 647 schools operated in the Sultanate during the last academic year, with one teacher for 11 students on average, while average student strength per school stood at 439.
Islamic schools
Other schools, including Islamic schools, and schools run by the armed and police forces, as well as schools under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and organisations, such as the Omani Women’s Associations accounted for 3 per cent of the total number of students, with their number touching 21,555, the NCSI report stated.
The majority of students—38.5 per cent of the total, and numbering 278,746— are pursuing secondary education, comprising of 142,987 males and 135,759 females.
Primary education
As many as 221,846 students, making up for 30.6 per cent of the total student strength, are engaged in primary education, made up of 112, 754 males and 109,092 females.
Kindergarten students accounted for 10.7 per cent of the total number of students at 77,766, and included 38,789 boys and 38,977 girls.
Special education schools
On the other hand, the number of students in special education schools stood at 518, of which 324 are males and 194 are females.
As for special schools, those who are deaf and dumb numbered 214, followed by 174 mentally challenged students and 130
blind students.
The number of students attending various literacy centres in the Sultanate reached 7,335, with the great majority of them being females at 7,102.
Adult education centres recorded a student strength of 19,217 during the last academic year, a majority of whom were males, their strength pegged at 15,429.