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Royal directive to boost education sector, construct 80 new schools

24 Sep 2024 Royal directive to boost education sector, construct 80 new schools By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Muscat – His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s directive to allocate RO40mn for the education sector will help augment schooling facilities across Oman, according to the Ministry of Education.

The funds will go towards construction of new schools and upgrading educational facilities across the country. The initiative is aimed at addressing the growing student population and ensuring a better learning environment for them.

The Ministry of Education stated that the initiative is crucial in dealing with overcrowded schools in several governorates. Nasser bin Salim al Ghanbousi, Director General of Education in South Batinah, said, “The Royal directive will lead to the construction of over 80 schools, benefiting over 20,000 students. This will help reduce student density and decrease the number of evening schools.”

In another move, the ministry has also begun modernising school transportation. The first batch of new school buses was unveiled at the Karwa Motors factory in Duqm on Monday. This batch comprises five buses, which will be delivered to bus owners in October.

Khamis al Hadidi, Director General of Projects and Services, said, “The ministry is replacing old buses as part of an agreement with Karwa Motors and Oman Development Bank. Over the next five years, 5,000 buses will be replaced at a rate of 1,000 per year. These new buses will provide a safer and more comfortable experience for students.”

According to Hadidi, safe school transportation not only improves the educational experience but also contributes to road safety. The ministry sees this as the first step in a series of improvements to school transport infrastructure.

Issa al Rashdi, Director of School Transportation in the ministry, said, “The new buses come equipped with modern monitoring systems, sensors and fire extinguishing systems. These features will improve school transportation and address the challenges that affect the overall educational experience.”

In addition to upgrading the transport fleet, Karwa Motors has announced the launch of after-sales services through Opal Company, which will provide maintenance and technical support for the new buses across all governorates.

The Ministry of Education is also tackling the issue of heavy school bags, particularly for younger students in Grades 1 to 4. A new directive now limits students to use two notebooks of 80 sheets each for their main subjects. Additional booklets and binders are not allowed, and students must use textbooks provided by the ministry. To help with this, lockers have been installed in schools for students to keep their books, so that they don’t have to carry these home. The ministry is also promoting the use of e-books through its educational portal, further easing the load on students.

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