Friday 20 / September / 2024
Muscat: Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sa’eedi, Minister of Health, member of the Supreme Committee tasked with tackling developments resulting from coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,said that the Royal attention and directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik has played a great role in alleviating the negative impacts of the pandemic.
His Majesty the Sultan is keen on the conditions of citizens operating in the health sector, said the Minister, adding that His Majesty took note of public appreciation for the efforts of health workers.
The Minister made the statement during the sixth press conference held by the Supreme Committee since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. The press conference saw the participation of Dr. Madeeha bint Ahmed Al Shaibaniya, Minister of Education, Member of the Supreme Covid-19 Control Committee, Dr. Hamoud bin Khalfan Al Harthy, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Education and Curricula, Dr. Saif bin Said Al Ma’amari, Education Minister’s Adviser for Educational Administration, In-charge of Affairs of the Ministry’s Under-Secretary for Educational Planning and Human Resources Development, Dr. Zuweina bint Saleh Al Maskariya, Director-General of Educational Assessment at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Hamad bin Khalfan Al Nu’omani, Director-General of Higher Education Admission Centre, Dr. Hussain bin Ali Al Kharoosi, Dean of Admission and Registration at Sultan Qaboos University, and Dr. Amal bint Saif Al Mu’ainiya, Director of Department of Infection Prevention and Control at the Health Ministry.
The Minister added that prediction of the continuation of the pandemic is for months, if not years. Countries have a great responsibility to study ways of brining things back to normal, he opined.
There is an observable decline in number of COVID-19-positive cases in the isolated area in Wilayat of Muttrah, said the Minister, adding that many expats in Muttrah who do not avail the right conditions for home isolation (social distancing) have been shifted to institutional isolation facilities. So far, the Ministry of Health screened more than 50,000 people, he said.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Dr. Madeeha said that, in the wake of the decision to suspend study in schools, the Ministry announced other alternatives, like on-air lessons and educational platforms to keep the students in touch with the learning process.
Dr. Madeeha pointed out that, based on the statement issued by the Supreme Committee on Tuesday, 5 May 2020, three main procedures have been decided (by her Ministry).
1. Classes from 1-11 in government and private schools (except schools applying the International Qualifications Programme in Classes 10-12) will be promoted to higher classes, except the cases of students stated in Ministerial Decision No. 93/2020 who will be provided with ‘complementary programmes’ in the beginning of next school year.
2. In light of conclusions reached by the statistical team formed from experts from the Ministries of Education, Higher Education and Manpower and Sultan Qaboos University and, after studying alternatives implemented in regional and international education systems, the results of Class 12 in government and private schools (except schools applying the International Qualifications Programme) for the Second Semester of General Education Diploma level or its equivalents will be calculated in accordance with the globally accredited ‘statistical treatment’ method, based on results of the First Semester. Meanwhile, students who do not achieve the success mark in three subjects (or less subjects) will have to do re-sit exams, and then they will have their results calculated in the same method of ‘statistical treatment’.
3. Private schools that apply the International Qualifications Programme in classes 10-12 have to implement student assessment methods endorsed by donor institutions when calculating results. Also, these international schools have to stick to their accredited assessment mechanisms.
The Minister of Education said that she expects that results for the General Education Diploma will appear in mid-June 2020.
Dr. Madeeha said that online education is expensive, but the Ministry of Education is considering alternatives. “We are aware that there are firms and young Omani people who value or fancy e-education via hand-held devices and mobile phones, but the digital gap exists in Oman and elsewhere in the world. The Ministry is exerting extensive efforts to close this gap."
The Minister of Education pointed out that the Ministry is studying options for prolonging the next school year and limiting the number of holidays. Details will be announced later, she said.
Education Ministry’s Under-secretary Dr. Hamoud Al Harthy said that private schools are a partner in the educational march and that private schools exerted great efforts in establishing educational platforms for online education. The current situation dictates understanding between parents and private schools, said Al Harthy.
He added that some weeks will be deducted from the school year to focus on some subjects and basic skills needed by students, particularly cumulative-dimension subjects.
Education Minister’s Adviser Dr. Saif Al Ma’amri that the Ministry sought to set up a permanent educational platform proposed by a number of government schools. He noted that the proposed platform is not related to the pandemic, but it will be an ongoing programme.
In reply to a question, Al Ma’amari affirmed that the Ministry of Education is committed to its obligations towards students, teaching and administrative staff and signatories of relevant contracts.
Dr. Zuweina Al Maskariya of the Education Ministry said that the Ministry devised alternatives to tackle the situation of the General Education Diploma and its equivalents to avoid the occurrence of any harm to students. She added that “we observed indicators that show an improvement in the performance of students in the Second Semester, compared to the First Semester.”
Dr. Zuweina added that, “if we merely take up results of the First Semester as a yardstick, then many students will have lower marks in one or more subjects, but ‘statistical treatment’ will guarantee justice and, accordingly, results of all students will definitely be better at the end of the day.” She reassured parents that the method chosen by the Ministry is scholarly and accurate and it is proven in educational and economic fields.
Dr. Hamad al Nu’omani, Director-General of the Higher Education Admission Centre (HAEC), said that the process of admission and registration has been going on from April and will continue till June. As many as 37,000 GED students registered via the HAEC, said al-Nu’omani, adding that there is still time for more students to join.
The trial Sorting Period begins on 8 June and it will depend on the result of the First Semester and options decided by students upon registration, said al-Nu’omani, adding that this will be followed by the Choices Change Period, which will come after the announcement of final results for General Education Diploma.
The Period of Admission Tests will be announced in July while the results of First Sorting will be announced on 11 August, said Al Nu’omani, who affirmed that the HAEC works in cooperation with all institutions concerned to remove obstacles.
Dr. Hussein Al Kharoosi, Dean of Admission and Registration at Sultan Qaboos University, said that the number of target seats for the next academic year stands at 3,085 seats, but all depends on the availability of certain factors and teaching staff.
Dr. Amal Al Mu’ainiya, Director of Infection Prevention and Control, Health Ministry, said that the mechanism of epidemiological investigation or active screening helps in discovering new cases of infection with coronavirus. This is better than the first method, when in which people go for checkups only when they feel they got the symptoms of the disease—which is a slow method of investigation.
