Zegham Hussain
The Sultanate of Oman celebrated its 53rd glorious National Day on Saturday, 18 November 2023, marking milestone accomplishments made in all aspects of life under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. The Royal speech of His Majesty the Sultan at the opening of the first annual sitting of the 8th term of the Council of Oman constituted a new future approach that strengthens the existing efforts made by various State institutions.
The Sultanate of Oman considers that the Council of Oman and its integration with institutions of the State harness the main factors for implementing approaches aimed at achieving accomplishments that benefit citizens. His Majesty the Sultan’s audience to the chairmen of the State Council and Shura Council-separately, in December 2022-underscores the fact that partnership in shaping the country’s present and future constitutes a basic pillar of national action in strengthening this integration in a way that serves its future directions and policies aimed at pressing ahead with the comprehensive development march. It also underlines the need to unify efforts and advance the supreme interest of the State, secure the sustainability of development and safeguard the country’s gains and accomplishments.
Last month (October 2023), the Sultanate of Oman conducted the Shura Council’s 10th Term Elections during which Omani citizens cast their votes for the first time via “Antakhib” electronic app. The app, which was used for the first time in the elections of municipal councils, boasts high security and confidentiality standards. Its use requires the availability of a smartphone equipped with the NFC feature, a valid ID card and enrolment in the electoral register. The participation rate via this app stood at 65.07 percent, and the voters selected 90 members to the Shura Council.
The Royal interest in the advancement of this homeland and its honourable people was demonstrated through many achievements, most notably the promulgation of the Social Protection Law, which guarantees the implementation of Oman’s vision and policy of adequate insurance coverage for various segments of society.
His Majesty the Sultan expressed this attention during his Royal speech at the opening of the first annual sitting of the 8th Term of the Council of Oman, as His Majesty said, “We envisage that the Social Protection System, recently introduced, will be comprehensive, extending its benefits to all segments of society, thereby guaranteeing a dignified life for all”. Among other duties, the Social Protection Fund encompasses a number of programmes, which will be implemented next January 2024. Most of these programmes do not require social research, like endorsing cash benefits for the elderly, children, people with disabilities, orphans and widows.
The scheme also includes family income support, social insurance programmes that secure support for the elderly, cases of disability, death, work-related injuries, occupational diseases and job security, in addition to maternity, sick, and unscheduled leaves.
The Social Protection Law achieves well-being for the people of Oman in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law of the State and the goals of Oman Vision 2040 that pertain to social aspects. Since the outset of its blessed renaissance, the Sultanate of Oman has advocated the view that education constitutes the edifice that secures and fortifies nations’ present and future. Therefore, Oman accorded top importance to education so that it could tap its benefits and reap its fruits.
To this effect, Oman proceeded with bolstering education by introducing the latest instruments and methods to expand its scopes. Oman Vision 2040 gives priority to “education, learning, scholarly research, and national capabilities”. Acting within the context of the vision’s first theme titled “Man and Society”, Oman embarked on implementing comprehensive education, sustainable learning and scholarly research that leads to the evolution of a knowledge-based society and competitive national human resources.
The Royal philosophy stems from the fact that educational institutions, research, and cultural centres at all levels constitute the foundation of society’s scientific and intellectual advancement, and act as drivers for our technological and industrial progression. The overall approach is to continue empowering the education sector, linking educational curricula to the requirements of economic growth and broadening opportunities for our youth to help them engage in scientific expertise, and immersing themselves in the broad realms of science and knowledge.
The youth of Oman are encouraged to utilize their cognitive and intellectual abilities for contesting creative and innovative endeavours, thereby laying a robust groundwork for authentic investment and establishing themselves as leaders in economic growth.
This approach was evidenced by the issuance of the School Education Law in May 2023. The law states that “The greatest goal of school education in the Sultanate of Oman is to achieve comprehensive and integrated development of the learner’s personality in terms of mental, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects.” The law also establishes the advancement of the teaching profession and the necessity of enhancing the status of the teacher. It recognizes the teacher’s effective role in grooming the generations of this nation. This was emphasized by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, when he chaired the Council of Ministers meeting in February 2023.
The Council of Ministers approved the allocation of an annual day titled “Omani Teacher’s Day”, which falls on 24 February every year. It is an official holiday for all teachers and related jobs in public and private schools. The Council of Ministers gave directives for the implementation of an advanced vocational and technical education system to enable students in 11th and 12th school grades to choose their preferred educational tracks. The educational system offers a host of professional and technical specializations, including engineering and industrial specializations.
The Cabinet also approved new educational channels and curricula prepared to keep pace with the requirements of sustainable development and future skills. The new vocational and technical education system began to be applied in the current school year (2023-2024) in a number of schools. Since Oman has placed the development of national human resources among its priorities, the Council of Ministers approved a programme to consolidate the foreign scholarship programme for the years (2023-2027).
The move includes the grooming of graduates who are capable of assuming leadership roles in economic sectors. It comprised the endorsement of 150 scholarships in innovative specializations in the best international universities over a period of five years, starting from 2023. The programme, which cost RO 36 million, seeks to empower the academic educational process.
His Majesty the Sultan also accorded attention to preserving the national identity and demonstrating pride in the Omani culture. His Majesty the Sultan cautioned against the challenges facing society and their unacceptable impacts on the moral and cultural system. In this context, His Majesty stressed the need to confront these challenges and enhancing society’s ability to address them, notably by invigorating the national identity, inculcating authentic values and principles and promoting the role of the family.
In this context, His Majesty the Sultan said, “It is imperative to accord paramount attention to the family, the cornerstone of our society, which acts as a bulwark in safeguarding our progeny from harmful ideologies that are in direct opposition to the tenets of our venerable religion and core values. Such detrimental trends also conflict with our Omani traditions, which are deeply ingrained in our history and national character”. His Majesty the Sultan also urged families to provide extra support to their children and raise them well, bearing in mind the changes posed to their behaviour in terms of negative concepts pervading the world. These include the exploitation of human rights principles and other justifications to impose visions, programmes and behaviours that are not consistent with the prevailing tenets and principles.
Regarding the Royal support to youth, His Majesty gave directives to begin procedures for establishing project to set up an integrated sports city that attracts and hosts tournaments and competitions at the regional and global levels. He also gave directives to study projects for investment in sports labs and extend incentives to investors, deemed partners in sports development. In this context, His Majesty the Sultan stressed the need to advance the sports sector and finalize a sports strategy that is being prepared to ensure furnishing facilities for young people and exploring their skills, right from the early school stages.
Oman also accords great importance to the employment of national human resources, training them and honing their skills to enable them to enter the labour market and explore the business environment. This attention reflected in legislations and laws, including the Labour Law, that provides a safe business climate by defining rights and duties and stabilizing the relationship between production parties. While chairing the Council of Ministers in January 2023, His Majesty the Sultan urged the authorities concerned to take necessary measures to establish a proper environment that encourages citizens to take up all types of work. He laid emphasis on the importance of educating young people about global work culture and entrepreneurship.
Oman attaches importance to the development of national administrative leaders, both in the public and private sectors. In this context, His Majesty the Sultan presided over the opening of the Royal Academy of Management, which enjoys the honourary patronage of His Majesty the Sultan. Oman also accorded priority to sustainable development in governorates and cities, considered as pillars of Oman Vision 2040. The approach focuses on the development of local administration, based on decentralization. It resulted in the issuance of the Governorate System and the Municipal Councils Law, aimed to empower the people of Oman in each governorate and enable them to contribute to the nation-building process.
His Majesty the Sultan encouraged Omani governorates to demonstrate the capabilities that they possess. He urged them to compete to present the best proposals for development projects that can be implemented in each wilayat. Those projects would be evaluated according to specific terms and conditions, and the first three winning ones receive funding in a bid to enhance the governorates’ economic activities. The governorates of Dhofar, Musandam and South Al Batinah won such competitions during 2023. The Sultanate of Oman also seeks to boost the social and economic prosperity through Oman National Spatial Strategy, which is the prime driver of the development sectors. It targets seven main goals, themed as:
“Developing cities and communities that are suitable for living”, “Preserving Omani identity”, “Responding to climate change and the need to adapt to it and alleviate its impacts”, “Promoting growth and economic diversity based on the components of each governorate”, “Sustainable use of resources, the production of power and the management of renewable resources”, “Water and waste management”, “Protection of the environment through control of impacts on environmentally-delicate areas” and “Developing a sustainable transport system and the creation of transport alternatives that include walking and use of bicycles”.
(To Be Concluded)
