German language gaining popularity in Sultanate
MUSCAT: More Omanis and expats are learning German for professional progress than before.
In the last two years, the German language has gained much popularity among various institutions, but many Omani people and expatriates living in Oman have also decided to learn German for professional reasons.
“In our German language courses, we have a mixture of Omani participants and participants from other nationalities,” said Elisabeth Spyra, a teacher at the Goethe-Institut of German Language Centre.
“There are multiple reasons for them to learn German. Many Omani people are travelling to German speaking countries or seeking medical treatment in Germany. Some of our participants are doctors, who are looking for job opportunities in Germany. And especially young Omani students or their parents have realised that it is beneficial for their professional career to know a foreign language apart from English.”
The Goethe-Institut, located in Shatti Al Qurum, taught 620 students last year and the number is continuously increasing.
The advantage of undergoing professional German language training has also become important for the tourism sector in Oman. In May 2016, the Ministry of Tourism, the Goethe-Institut Muscat and Muriya Tourism Development signed an agreement to enhance German language skills of Omani tour guides in a series of intensive courses conducted by the Goethe-Institut.
The Royal Opera House Muscat, as well as the new National Museum Oman, are currently running similar German language trainings for their employees.
In the education sector, the Goethe-Institut has renewed its agreement with the Ministry of Education (MoE) to implement German as second foreign language in public schools in Oman. Earlier, 10 Omani teachers were trained intensively and the language programme was introduced in five schools.
MoE is currently evaluating this pilot project. If the results are deemed positive, the number of Omani schools teaching German could increase significantly.