Since the early Renaissance era, anchored by His majesty the Sultan of Oman, the
government created a good opportunity for the private sector - individuals and
institutions and companies - to invest in the field of education through the
establishment of private schools that provide education to the children of the
Sultanate and residents. According to the educational statistics available to
the Ministry of Education in the academic year 72/73 there were only two private
schools with a total of (115) students, distributed on the stage of pre-school
education and elementary school, as the number of faculty only (12) teachers.
The private schools number continued its growth vertically and horizontally in
terms of the number of schools and school stages and the number of students
enrolled, bringing the number of schools in (2005/2006) to (158) private schools
where the number of students acceded twenty-eight thousand student.
The following table shows the number of private schools, students and faculty
and administrative bodies during the last eight years:
Teaching faculty Administrative faculty Students number School number School
year
Teaching faculty |
Administrative faculty |
Students number |
School number |
School year |
1405 |
306 |
23560 |
118 |
1998/99 |
1624 |
305 |
23794 |
123 |
2000/99 |
1801 |
305 |
23850 |
132 |
2000/1 |
1792 |
301 |
22773 |
131 |
2002/1 |
1863 |
320 |
23166 |
132 |
2003/2 |
1916 |
311 |
23553 |
129 |
2004/3 |
2040 |
367 |
25472 |
143 |
2005/4 |
2250 |
401 |
28183 |
158 |
2006/5 |
Supervision of private schools and organs:
The Ministry of Education - represented by the Department of private schools and
departments of private schools in regional educational directories – organize
the task of supervising technical and administrative staff of private schools;
oversight functions include the following areas:
- Preparation of projects and plans for the development of private schools and
monitor the implementation of those plans.
- Follow-up of the educational process of schools for technical and
administrative, and ensure their commitment to the systems in place,
instructions and directives issued by the ministry.
- Authorize the establishment of special schools for the different levels of
education and the renewal of licenses and modifications.
- Coordination between private schools and departments of the ministry and other
relevant institutions.
- Determining the validity of candidates to work in private schools in the light
of the standards of efficiency set by the ministry.
- The official approval of registration and transfer of students from private
schools and to them.
- Take the necessary action in case of violations of private schools to the
provisions of regulation for private schools.
- The official approval of programs and qualifications, and international
approaches applied by the private schools.
- The official approval of tuition fees.
- Assessment and classification of the educational performance of private
schools in a comprehensive manner.
The supervisory bodies of private schools are made up of an administrative
system consisting (5) sections, namely:
- Department of educational programs.
- Department of kindergarten.
- Department of Student Affairs.
- Licensing Department.
There is a department of private schools also in each district of the general
directorates of education in areas of the Sultanate entrusted with the task of
supervising and follow-up at schools at the region, and there is a constant
cooperation and constant coordination between the Department of Private Schools
and departments in the regions to achieve the integration of administrative and
technical correlation.
School buildings:
There are (33) private school buildings have been built according to the
conditions specified by the Ministry, while the rest of the private schools,
uses residential buildings which meet the basic requirements of the educational
building. The Ministry of Education has allowed this procedure in aid to the
private sector to encourage investment in education.
Area |
school |
|
Muscat |
Al-Sultan |
1 |
Muscat |
Muscat |
2 |
Muscat |
Al-Sahwa |
3 |
Muscat |
Al-Qurm |
4 |
Muscat |
Dar Al Hanan |
5 |
Muscat |
Al- Watania |
6 |
Muscat |
Azzan Bin Qais |
7 |
Muscat |
Tabaek |
8 |
Muscat |
Al Ibbdaa |
9 |
Muscat |
M.Sultan Qaboos |
10 |
Muscat |
Al.Huda |
11 |
Muscat |
The Capital |
12 |
Muscat |
Al- Iman |
13 |
Muscat |
Al.Safwa |
14 |
Muscat |
Al.Shwaifat |
15 |
Muscat |
Al.Salt ibn Malik |
16 |
Muscat |
Al.Mawalih |
17 |
Muscat |
Ahmed bin Majed |
18 |
Muscat |
Aser Al.Nahdha |
19 |
Dhofar |
Al.Marif |
20 |
Dhofar |
Salalah |
21 |
Dhofar |
Al.Anwar |
22 |
Dhofar |
Tariq ibn Zyad |
23 |
Al Dakhlih |
Al Afaq |
24 |
North Batinah |
Sahm |
25 |
North Batinah |
Al-Khawarzmi |
26 |
North Batinah |
Sohar International |
27 |
North Batinah |
Mosab bin Omair |
28 |
South Batinah |
Ali ibn abi Talib |
29 |
South Sharqia |
AbdRahmanbin Awf |
30 |
South Sharqia |
Hai Al-Shrooq |
31 |
Al.Dhahira |
Omar ibn al-Khatab |
32 |
Al.Dhahira |
Ibri |
33 |
Educational programs in private schools:
Basic Education
Schools began to apply basic education in the academic year 99/2000 the Ministry
of Education has given approval for a number of school (11) for the application
of the system, and school administrations have been able to provide all of the
requirements of the application of basic education, preparation of a learning
resource centers and provision of furniture and hardware and equipment according
to specifications, then, the number of private schools applies basic education
is in increased year after year, by the year (2005/2006) Basic Education System
has been applied in all private schools.
Pre-school education
With the onset of kindergarten, which coincided with the emergence of private
schools as institutions, the kindergartens did not have specified unified
curriculum,
but a kindergarten curriculum formed of various courses based foremost on the
experience of the teachers, and the methods in hand, focused on the teaching of
Mathematics without taking into account the needs of these children to satisfy
their desires to play, which can learn from many of the concepts and gain more
experience and knowledge. The situation continued on this case since 1972 until
the early eighties of the last century. Based on quality control principles of
early childhood, the Ministry of Education made great strides in terms of:
First: Identify the controls and the foundations for this educational level
through the regulation of private schools and the working guide:
Insight of the ministry to provide an appropriate educational environment for
children, and through the regulation and their working guide to determine the
conditions and specifications of the kindergarten building and its furniture and
the teaching facilities, to make it easier for investors to stand on the terms
and conditions of the establishment of a private kindergarten, and provide the
right learning environment.
Second: create kindergarten circle in directorate of private schools:
The supervision and administration of kindergarten was run by the special
schools directory until 1988 , after the restructuring of the private schools
cycle in the 1998 a section was set up for kindergartens, the tasks of the
section has been identified to oversee the technical supervision of public
kindergartens, and follow-up study of curriculum implementation in these
institutions.
Yet increasing the number of kindergartens in the Sultanate showed the urgent
need for technical supervision in all regions of the Sultanate, in 2003/2004 the
educational directories all over the sultanate was provided with well qualified
cadre with intensive training on the Omani Curriculum .
Third: the composing the Omani kindergarten curriculum:
Based on the kindergarten curriculum applied in one of the AGCC states; and
after the necessary adjustments to the curriculum to suit the needs and
requirements of the Omani child; a new composed curriculum consists (6) child
experiences and a guide for every teacher.
The experience and expertise are: -
Transportation experience |
2 |
Experience of Rodti |
1 |
My family experience |
4 |
Experience of my health and my safety |
3 |
Oman my country |
6 |
People are working |
5 |
In 1993 a new experience was added under the name of (Oman my country) to
manifest citizenship and bride in his country. The ministry of education ensured
the support of the curriculum with this unit through a meaningful context and to
be applied in encouraging environment that grantee successful self-awareness of
his identity and experience its manifestation and initiate the gradual
involvement towards the configuration of the good patriotic citizen.
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