MUSCAT -- Higher Education in any country plays a very significant role in improving the quality of human resources, which is considered a primary necessity in the nation-building process. Higher Education in the Sultanate has developed at an amazing pace since the start of the blessed Renaissance 40 years ago. It has served as the cornerstone in developing human resources in the country.
The wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has adopted the policy of human development as the means and the goal of the Sultanate's comprehensive modernisation. The aim was to achieve further progress and prosperity for the people of Oman. As no development can be achieved, in any community, without offering quality education, ongoing upgrading of programmes continued over the past four decades.
The government has made tremendous efforts to improve the march of higher education in the Sultanate. Various private institutions have also actively contributed to the higher education and training programmes to develop manpower skills and groom a complete generation of qualified Omani personnel. In particular, the Ministry of Higher Education spares no effort in promoting this dynamic sector. It strives to provide the greatest number of opportunities for higher education seekers by establishing colleges and universities in different parts of the Sultanate.
It also supervises the growth of the private higher education sector and facilitates the job of investors in this field. Higher education institutions in different regions of the Sultanate, which offer a wide selection of sciences and arts programmes, have been developed to serve as the main source of educated manpower to meet the requirements of the labour market. These institutions seek to provide high-quality programmes to advance scientific and applicable skills.
They also serve the decentralisation of education to stabilise communities, while at the same time provide human resources to the labour market outlets in their vicinity. In directives to promote the higher education march in the Sultanate, His Majesty stressed: "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".
This Royal call reflects the importance attached to higher education by His Majesty as this sector represents the cornerstone of the future Omani youth; the target of national development. In his speeches, His Majesty also urges all young Omanis to take advantage of every available opportunity given to them to proceed on their higher education. The government Intending to offer the Omani youth the opportunity for higher education, not only to acquire academic and professional skills, but also to have a capacity for original thoughts to study thoroughly, according deep concern to their country's civilisation and rich heritage.
Therefore, higher education seekers should not aim merely at getting jobs, but they should focus on ongoing development of personal skills and professional standards. As long as a society concerns itself with raising, developing, qualifying, skills and diversifying higher education and human resources, its success will be guaranteed in building a progressive state.
© Oman Daily Observer 2010
