MUSCAT -- Under the auspices of Maj Gen Salim bin Musallam bin Ali Qatan, Assistant Inspector-General of Police and Customs, and in the presence of Dr Muna bint Khalfan al Gardaniya, Under-Secretary of Education and Curriculum at the Ministry of Education, the improved Curriculum of Road Safety was unveiled at the General Directorate of Human Resources in Qurum. The curriculum is a fruitful outcome of the continuing co-operation between the Ministry of Education and Shell Development Oman LLC to highlight the issues related to road safety awareness.
Such issues are meant to be a priority of focus by the different segments of Omani society, and the school community in particular. The project aims to raise up a generation well-grounded in road safety. Eventually, this will help reduce the risk of road accidents in Oman. Dr Amal bint Abdullah al Busaidiya, Directorate General of Curriculum in the Ministry of Education stated: "The Ministry of Education and Shell Development Oman LLC have adopted the project 'Road Safety in the Omani Curriculum' with the participation of many professionals from Royal Omani Police and Ministry of the Higher Education.
As part of the project, an integrated curriculum has been developed that includes intellectual and educational subjects related to road safety. These are addressed in the Omani curriculum for grades 1 to 10 as a trial edition." The ministry's road safety team evaluated the outcome of the trial phase of the curriculum, which was launched during the academic year 2005/2006. Feedback garnered through field visits and reports were assessed as a prelude to plans to improve and develop the curriculum.
The first edition of the curriculum inaugurated yesterday is the product of a comprehensive evaluation process of the first phase of the application of the curriculum. This edition is more procedurally used due to the "How to use" instructions and the clearer and more accurate definitions of road safety concepts in the Omani curriculum. Further, a mechanism to incorporate student societies into the application of the road safety project was put into practice.
Hilal bin Yahya al Mawali, General Manager of External Affairs, Shell Development Oman LLC commented: "This important participation of Shell Development Oman in the project is a part of its Social Investment Programme, established especially to sustainably and structurally serve the society with the support of the relevant stakeholders. In addition to the curriculum, Shell implements many programmes regarding road safety, such as Shell Road Safety Awards in the Omani schools and the traffic park for children with the co-operation of the Ministry of Education and Royal Oman Police."
By A Staff Reporter
© Oman Daily Observer 2010
