Education Council reviews progress of the sector

MUSCAT: The Education Council on Monday held its 1st meeting of the year, under the chairmanship of Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidy, Minister of the Diwan of Royal Court, Chairman of the Education Council.

The Chairman congratulated all educators and employees in the education field on the Teacher Day which falls on February 24 each year.

The meeting reviewed a number of key issues including the presentation made by the Ministry of Education on the outcome of the 6th version of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as the Sultanate has made a remarkable progress in the student performance in math and science at the fourth and eighth grades compared to the previous two versions.

The Sultanate’s rating on the Gulf, Arab and international levels has also improved. The Council urged the relevant organisations to take necessary measures to enhance the results at the coming versions and implement effective education programmes that enhance performance at the coming stage.

The Council also discussed the proposal to establish an e-platform for open resources under the supervision of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and in cooperation with other relevant organisations and gave instructions to carry out necessary measures in this regard.

As part of its steady efforts to build a national and international system of education indicators in the Sultanate, the Council discussed the circular prepared by its Secretariat General on the project to build an information and indicator system in the Sultanate of Oman.

The initiative aims at building an integrated system for the collection of education data and indicators which will hopefully help the Council in carrying out its aims and missions related to education system planning and management. The Council also approved the application to transfer the national higher auto institute to a college that provides programs and majors that serve the auto industry.

The Council also approved the request submitted by the Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (SEZAD) to establish a private college that provides programs and majors that serve economic activities at SEZAD. — ONA