مجلس التعليم

An extract from a speech by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, may his soul rest in peace, on the 3rd Session of The Council of Oman, 21 October 2003

" We have attached major priority to our domestic policy since the beginning of the Blessed Renaissance so that our human resources can be developed is such a way as will enable them to serve the community and work for the good of the nation. We appreciate the efforts being made by the different state authorities in this field, and we also commend the private sector’s contributions to the education and training programmes and to developing manpower skills and producing qualified Omani personel. In particular, we support this sector’s moves to establish colleges and universities in different parts of the Sultanate in order to provide the widest possible opportunities for higher education within the country.

We call upon those in charge of these universities to make them easily accessible to young Omanis who wish to enroll in them. We also call upon them to focus on their academic syllabi, ensure that they are constantly developed and updated so that their universities can be assured of their place among the ranks of distinguished institutions, and increase the numbers of students applying to study in them. Here we should also like to point out that over the past two years we have been observing the private sector’s efforts to provide job opportunities for nationals in its companies and establishments.

In urging young Omanis to make use of the available educational, training and job opportunities, we should like everyone to understand that our repeated calls for attention to be given to human resources – to education, training and employment – reflect the importance we attach to this vital issue – an issue which we regard as the corner stone of the future and the main stimulus enabling us to reach our goals".