Muscat – The Oman Authority for Quality Assurance of Education (OAQAE) stated on Wednesday that it is expanding reforms aimed at strengthening education standards across schools and higher education institutions in line with Vision 2040.

At a media briefing in Muscat, Dr Jokha bint Abdullah Al Shukaili, Chairperson of the authority, said OAQAE continues to lead the national education quality assurance system through establishment of national quality standards, school performance evaluations, higher education accreditation, oversight of the National Qualifications Framework and  development of national assessment and testing systems.

She said the authority also oversees international studies and professional licensing systems of educational institutions as part of efforts to improve education outcomes and institutional performance. It completed evaluations of 100 government and private schools last year under the National School Performance Evaluation System, while 58 evaluation reports were published on the authority’s website. Academic accreditation systems were further developed and institutional and programme accreditation processes continued across higher education institutions.

According to the authority, 22 higher education institutions have received institutional accreditation, three institutions were granted conditional accreditation and two remain under observation. Several academic programmes have also been accredited under programme accreditation activities.

Jokha informed that the National Qualifications Framework now includes the alignment and inclusion of 21 academic and professional qualifications. A national database covering academic, professional, technical and vocational qualifications has also been established to enhance the credibility of Omani qualifications and align these with international standards.

She said OAQAE plans to continue expanding school evaluations, complete accreditation processes and strengthen quality assurance systems for vocational and technical education. Oman will also continue participation in international assessments to support educational policy development and improve the competitiveness of learning outcomes.

She affirmed the authority’s commitment to building an education quality system based on transparency, efficiency and institutional integration to support sustainable development and prepare competitive national talent.