SCPTT celebrates graduation of 1,883

MUSCAT: The Specialised Centre for Professional Training of Teachers (SCPTT), which comes under the Ministry of Education, on Saturday celebrated the graduation of its first batch under the auspices of Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidy, Minister of the Diwan of Royal Court.

Speaking at the event in which 1,883 candidates graduated, Al Busaidy said the celebration comes as part of the efforts being made by the Ministry of Education with the support of the Education Council to foster care for the teachers who are the pillars of education.

The centre grooms a generation of teachers armed with knowledge and skills, Al Busaidy said, adding that the Sultanate government has given top priority to teachers. Excellence award for Omani teachers has been instituted to honour dedicated teachers in appreciation of their contributions.

In her speech, Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education, congratulated the graduates who have successfully completed the programme.

She said that the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to set up the SCPTT and doubling of the budget allocation for professional development were in line with the best international practises in the educational field and have enabled the ministry to facilitate training and exchange of experiences for teachers. This has also helped the ministry to give proper care for the teachers befitting the role they play in society.

The SCPTT’S programmes have been designed in cooperation with world’s leading universities with the participation of Omani cadres. The programmes aim at bringing up educationalists with high skills that enable them to lead the endeavour for quality education in their schools.

These programmes could be made compulsory for teachers in future as per the decision taken by the Education Council, the minister said.