"Unsere Vision für die Höhere Bildung ist ein hohes Maß an Eigenständigkeit innerhalb eines Systems, das im Land selbst eine Programmvielfalt bietet, die den Anforderungen der eigenen Wirtschaft sowie der Gesellschaft der globalisierten Welt entspricht." so Dr. Rawya bint Saud al Busaidiya, Ministerin für Höhere Bildung im Sultanat Oman.
Hier die Nachricht im Original:
Oman ministry aims for increased self-reliance in higher education
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Oman Daily Observer - 15 September, 2007
Dr Rawya bint Saud al Busaidiya, Minister of Higher Education, says: “Our vision is to achieve a high degree of self-reliance in higher education, within a system which offers in-country a spectrum of programmes which meets the needs of our economy and society in the global world. “This means not only a sufficient range of programmes, but also an adequate number of seats to accommodate the young and growing population. But this does not mean that every single specialty must be offered in-country; or that Omani students should not study abroad; or that programmes from universities abroad should not be offered within the Sultanate.
International exposure and cross-cultural interaction is essential if Oman is to attain high standards and remain relevant in today’s world”, she added. “We are cognisant of the need to send students abroad to keep abreast of international trends and access certain highly specialised programmes. Accordingly, a number of scholarships are offered for students to study at recognised universities abroad, mainly in the UK, the US and Australia, but covering a spectrum of 44 different countries around the world. Recent agreements with Germany and the Netherlands will result in more Omani students studying in Europe”, she said in comments to the Observer.
Serving a rapidly developing economy and society, Oman’s system of higher education has grown very fast over the past two decades since the establishment of Oman’s premier government university — Sultan Qaboos University in 1986 — with a few hundred students. The total number of students in higher education in Oman will soon exceed 50,000. The system of private higher education grew from one college in 1995 to the present 23 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), with close to 17,000 new entrants each year.
Regarding the balance between private and government higher education, SQU with a current enrolment of 13,500, still serves more students than the four private universities (Sohar University, University of Dhofar, University of Nizwa and the Oman-German University of Technology). There are at present six MoHE Colleges of Applied Sciences (CAS) enrolling approximately 7,000 students, with a seventh CAS soon to be added. In addition, there are six higher colleges of technology under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Manpower with an enrolment of 6,000; and 16 institutions of health science with an intake of 707 students.
Two new Oman-based private universities are about to come on stream — Muscat University and the University of Buraimi. While the expansion of higher education has been predominantly through the private sector, government-supported higher education remains a highly significant part of the mix; and regulations are in place to help assure quality in private HEIs. Perhaps the most exciting development in higher education in Oman in the past few years is the increasing diversification of programme offerings both through new specialised colleges such as IMCO (the International Maritime College of Oman) and the Oman Dental College, and through changes and additions to the spectrum of programmes offered by established colleges.
As the private sector in Oman undergoes a boom with several new mega projects in the tourism, construction and industrial sectors, a number of specialised private HEIs are responding to the opportunity to train Omanis in skills for a diversified economy. Job-oriented programmes include tourism, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, port management, marine science, design, management and IT. An indication of the progress of the Sultanate on the road to increasing self-reliance is the current trend among Oman’s private HEIs to offer their own degrees, although they are still required to have academic partnerships with international universities.
Some international universities offer degrees through local HEIs (an example is the University of Hull MBA), but to date, the only international university approved to operate ‘independently’ in the Sultanate is the Arab Open University, which is affiliated with the British Open University. Over time, the Sultanate may attract a number of prestigious universities to establish ‘branch campuses’ in Oman, as is already the case in some other Gulf countries, said the minister.