The Ministry of Education (MoE) and Omantel have signed an agreement to develop IT and coding courses for primary school students at a cost of 50,000 Omani rial (US$130,000).
The agreement was signed by Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education and Talal bin Saeed al Maamari, CEO, Omantel.
The agreement aims to develop an educational curriculum to provide students with the skills of the future and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in line with Oman Vision 2040, which aims to create a knowledge-based economy.
The curriculum will be applied to students in grades one to four in public schools, single-language private schools and The Diwan schools, the Royal Omani Orchestra and the Royal Oman Police schools for a period of three academic years, starting from the 2021-2022 academic year.
Dr Al Shaibaniyah said: “The process of developing national competencies and capabilities is one of the main pillars of Oman Vision 2040 alongside with the aim of building the capabilities of citizens. In addition to that is preparing them with a high degree of scientific and practical competence, arming them with strength and will to build a prosperous society capable of facing Global challenges and changes, and equipping them with the skills required for the future in light of the tremendous technical development. Given the rapid technical development and change in many future jobs and the skills needed for them, the Ministry of Education must rely on international standards that are forward-looking to the nature of these jobs.”
Al Maamari added that: “This agreement comes within Omantel’s social responsibility programmes, in which education is one of its pillars. Our social responsibility resembles investing in young people, enhancing their skills in the field of IT and programming, and meeting the aspirations of Oman 2040 vision and the needs of digital transformation in the Sultanate. Adding to that is contributing to building a generation that possesses scientific knowledge in the field of information technology and programming at an early stage of school education.”
He added: “While we are keen to provide the latest technologies and services to the various categories of our subscribers, we are aware of the responsibility entrusted to us as the first leading company in the telecommunications sector in the Sultanate. We also seek to harness our capabilities to support digital transformation and support various national efforts and initiatives aimed at building a knowledge-based economy in the Sultanate.”
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