Sixteen schools win road safety awards
Shell Oman, together with the Ministry of Education, hosted the 13th annual ‘Shell Road Safety Awards’ ceremony presided over by His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd al Said, Assistant Secretary-general in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, at the ROP Traffic Safety Institute.
Sixteen schools and three Regional Directorates of Education won awards for identifying and implementing innovative ways to raise awareness on road safety. The event was attended by Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education.
This year’s nationwide road safety competition, jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, Sultan Qaboos University and the Royal Oman Police, attracted more than 500 schools, making up 30 per cent of schools in the Sultanate.
Amna al Balushi, Assistant Secretary-general, Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and Chairperson of the Shell Road Safety Awards Committee said, “Our responsibility as educators goes beyond the textbook. We have an obligation to educate future generations on a variety of life skills including road safety. By incorporating ‘Shell Road Safety Awards’ as a staple programme into our schools, we are shaping our youth to become responsible citizens and eventually, responsible drivers and passengers. As we guide them to understand the importance of road safety, we are creating a social impact that, I am confident, will continue to be passed on to future generations.”
Students from over 500 schools from across the Sultanate joined their peers to demonstrate various ways to be safe on the road. Teams went on to exhibit their work through a number of mediums including plays, art and videos. Winning schools were assessed based on two main criteria: how sustainable and fruitful their projects are on the community and how integrated their teamwork was.
Muna al Shukaili, General Manager of External Relations and Social Investment Lead at Shell Development Oman, said, “It is important that we continue to make a positive impact in our communities. Road safety is a priority in Shell’s social investment programmes and most importantly key to keeping our families safe. Through simple yet impactful initiatives such as the ‘Shell Road Safety Awards’, we are creating opportunities for students to learn the importance of road safety in a unique, fun and rewarding way. By working responsibly and in close collaboration with children, government officials and the private sector, we can instil a strong safety culture that will contribute to the safety of Oman’s roads and its people.”
The award ceremony included an exhibition of the winning projects. In addition, the 2018-2019 Shell Road Safety Awards was announced focusing on safety around the school campus with a particularly emphasises on the safety of children on school buses.
This year’s winning schools will also be eligible to compete for the newly introduced ‘Sustainability Award’ in the 2019 edition with RO 3,000 at stake.
This year’s nationwide road safety competition, jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, Sultan Qaboos University and the Royal Oman Police, attracted more than 500 schools