Oman shines in children and women’s health

Such high coverage by maternal health services has led to a decrease in maternal mortality rate in the Sultanate, which is higher than that of other GCC countries. The WHO/ Unicef Joint Monitoring Programme (JMHS) reported that 90 per cent of the population had access to good water sources and sanitation facilities which remained a determinant of child health.

Early childhood development is another area where the Sultanate has made rapid growth, especially in the education sector.

The government has given great thrust to early childhood education services along with private sector. It is notable that some non-profit institutions also have joined this endeavour.

Gender parity in pre-school/early childhood education has increased steadily, but children from lowincome families, particularly in rural areas, still need access to adequate early childhood education.

In the past 20 years, the Sultanate has achieved near-universal access to primary education at a steady rate. The development in secondary education is also an impressive one, although higher grades require further improvement to achieve better results. The Sultanate has achieved comprehensive literacy rates among adolescents aged between 15 and 24 years. The narrowing of the gap between the net enrollment rate and the gross enrollment ratio shows the effectiveness of the government’s efforts to enroll students at the right age.

Between 1990 and 2010, the passing percentage of pupils up to sixth grade increased by nearly 35 per cent. The re-sit rate in lower grades declined but shows need for improvement in higher grades.

The Sultanate, as a whole, has achieved gender parity for both primary and secondary education. Overall, the gender parity index increases in favour of girls as children progress from Classes 1 to 12. Girls have a higher promotion rate than boys.