Ain-Al-Yaqeen - October 13, 2006

		October 13, 2006

OMAN'S OIL PRICES INCREASE AND CHINA TOPS THE COUNTRIES IMPORTING OMANI OIL.
CONTINUOUS STRIDES IN ALL EDUCATIONAL FIELDS.
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A LONG SERIES OF ROAD PROJECTS IN MUSCAT AS PART OF A PROJECT TO STRENGTHEN ROAD NETWORK IN THE SULTANATE.

The Sultanate's total exports of crude oil stood at 141.71 million barrels during the first seven months of 2006, compared to 151.31 million barrels during the corresponding period in 2005, constituting a fall of 6.2 per cent.

The monthly statistical bulletin issued by the Ministry of National Economy showed that the Sultanate's total production of crude oil and condensates stood at 158.40 million barrels by the end of July 2006, against 164.19 million barrels during the corresponding period in 2005, constituting a fall of 3.5 per cent.

The bulletin said that the average price of Oman oil per barrel rose by 33.7 per cent during the first seven months this year to $62.90 per barrel compared to $47.04 per barrel during the corresponding period in 2005.

China topped the countries importing Omani oil as it imported 50.42 million barrels during the first seven months of 2006, against 50.80 million barrels during the corresponding period in 2005, constituting a slight fall of 0.8 per cent.

The Sultanate of Oman has been the third largest import partner in the Middle East for China in 2005, an IMF statistics report has said.

According to the IMF Direction of Trade Statistics, China has been importing oil and petroleum products from the Middle East and its biggest suppliers in the region were Saudi Arabia ($13.5 billion), Iran ($6.7 billion) and Oman ($4.4 billion).

Quoting this IMF report in its economic bulletin, HSBC Bank has said that in the last seven years alone, China's imports from the Middle East have risen nearly tenfold from $3.7 billion in 1998 to $35 billion in 2005.

Consequently, the trade balance between China and the Middle East is now a substantial surplus for the Middle East, currently running at about $10 billion a year.

China's modern trading relationship with the Middle East began on the basis of exports from China, and for some years, this relationship yielded a trade surplus for China.

However, as the Chinese economy expanded, and with it the country's need for energy, China has begun to import oil on a massive scale.

China's bill for import of fuels increased from $5.1 billion in 1995 to $48 billion in 2004. About half of China's oil imports come from the Middle East.

As China's relationship with the Middle East has grown and diversified, the mix and ranking of its trading partners has changed.

On the export side, in 2005, out of $25.6 billion worth of Chinese exports to the Middle East, about $10.7 billion were shipped to the UAE. China's next largest customers in the region were Saudi Arabia ($4.2 billion) and Iran ($3.3 billion).

On the import side of the equation, the ranking of China's trade partners is rather different, since China's biggest imports from the Middle East appear to be crude oil and petroleum products. According to HSBC estimates, in 2005 China's biggest suppliers in the region were Saudi Arabia, Iran and Oman.

As China has become increasingly competitive, it has overtaken traditional suppliers like Japan, the UK, Germany and the USA. In many Middle East countries, China is now one of the leading sources of imports, if not the leader.

Although the trade flows today are many times larger than they were ten years ago, the essence of the trading relationship between China and the Middle East remains much the same.

China exports mainly manufactured goods to the Middle East and receives mainly petroleum products in return.

In the wake of the massive trade flows between China and the Middle East, China is developing a growing investment and business presence in the region, says the HSBC bulletin.

In 2005, China imported about 3.5 million barrels of oil per day. According to the Energy Information Administration, China will need to import around 11 million barrels of oil per day by the year 2025.

This is equivalent to two-thirds of the Middle East's entire oil exports today. If this scenario materialises, the Middle East will be the only region able to meet this demand, and China will be buying practically all of the Middle East's oil exports. At today's prices, this volume of oil will cost around $300 billion per year.

It can be anticipated that with every year that passes, China will be a bigger customer for Middle East oil. It can be expected that as this relationship becomes more crucial for both parties, China will develop a stronger presence in the Middle East.

Overview of Education in Oman

Education and training in the Sultanate of Oman have developed at a staggering pace since the accession of Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 1970. At that time there were only three rudimentary schools in the entire country, with a total of 909 pupils and not more than thirty teachers. There are now over 1000 schools in Oman, 90% of them government-run (the remainder being private) providing education at primary, preparatory and secondary levels.

Stages of Education

At present there are three stages of juvenile education: primary, preparatory and secondary. Primary school education usually begins at the age of six. Having passed the sixth primary grade examination between the ages of twelve and fourteen the pupil moves on to preparatory education. Students passing the general preparatory certificate examination are then admitted to the first grade of secondary school between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. On completion of their secondary education successful students can go on to advanced training at specialist colleges or enter Sultan Qaboos University.

Student Population

The total number of students in State education is around 560,000 of whom nearly half are female. There are presently 132 private schools in Oman, educating some 25,000 students.

Children with Special needs

The Ministry of Education makes special arrangements for the education of some 600 children who are blind, deaf and dumb or have other learning difficulties and are therefore unable to attend normal school. The Ministry is keen to increase the number of special needs schools of which there are currently only three in the entire Sultanate. Some are sent to an appropriate establishment in neighbouring countries.

Teaching Staff

Over the past few years with the introduction of teacher training, the government has opened 6 training institutes. Currently around 9,000 students are studying at the six colleges. Oman proudly presents good quality, qualified teachers into its schools and there are almost 30,000 teachers employed in government-run schools. The Ministry is making strenuous and concerted efforts to replace expatriates at all levels with trained Omani teachers. At primary school level, nearly all the teaching staff are Omanis.

Private Schools

The Government has encouraged the growth of private schools in the Sultanate and welcomes the contribution made by the private sector to the education system. In the year 2000 there were 132 private schools and kindergartens in the Sultanate providing pre-school, primary, preparatory and secondary education. Private school owners must be of Omani nationality and have at least a secondary school certificate. Private schools follow the same curriculum as Government schools and hold the same examinations.

Private Colleges

The Ministry encourages the private sector to establish colleges and institutes of higher education. There are 14 privately owned Colleges of Higher Education which operate under license from the Ministry of Higher Education and are at different stages of development. Three of these are designated University Colleges: Caledonian College of Engineering, Majan College and Sur University College. All 14 are affiliated to Universities in the UK, USA, Australia or India. The existing provision for higher education is still insufficient, which means that a considerable number of Omanis go abroad for their post-secondary education. The amalgamation of certain colleges to form three new universities is being talked about at present.

There are at least 20 Further Education colleges and institutes in the Sultanate. The majority of subjects are taught in the English language hence there is a growing demand for English language courses. Oman has a very strong Omanisation policy and the government is aiming for 100% Omanisation of the teaching force by 2005. These colleges offer post-secondary education in business administration, economics, commerce and computer sciences. The diplomas awarded at the end of one to three year courses qualify the students to enter overseas universities.

The first women's college in Oman, the Mazoon College for Management and Applied Sciences, opened during 1999. This was followed by Al-Zahra College for Girls.

Adult Education

Adult education operates in parallel with the regular education system allowing advanced courses and examinations to be taken. Great importance is attached to allowing those who, for one reason or another, have been unable to complete their education to continue with their studies.

The role of the Ministry of Higher Education

The Ministry of Higher Education supervises all other higher education institutions and is responsible for overseas students, for formulating higher education policies and administering the Law on Grants & Scholarships.

During this Five-Year Plan (2001-2006), the Ministry intends to set up a Marine Sciences College in Dhofar and a Higher Institute of Arts at Sohar. A Higher Judicial Institute at Nizwa is planned to prepare students to become judges and legal advisers on a two-year post-graduate programme for which a higher diploma will be awarded.

It is also hoped to raise the level of intermediate Teachers' Colleges to the standards of the College of Education in order to ease the pressure on Sultan Qaboos University. There are six teacher training colleges in Oman, four of which are for men at Nizwa, Sur, Sohar and Salalah and two for women at Rustaq and Ibri.

Teaching of English

The teaching of English has assumed increasing importance in recent years. Children start to learn English as a first second language from entrance level in many schools, however, government-run schools start at around 7 years. Acquiring a good level of the English language is necessary particularly in higher education colleges where science-based courses are conducted in that language.

Sultan Qaboos University(SQU)

The Sultan Qaboos University, which is situated at Al Khoudh, some 50 kms west of Muscat, opened in 1986. There are currently some 12.000 students at the University. The university has faculties for Medicine, Engineering, Science, Agriculture, Arts, Commerce and Economics, and Islamic Sciences. The Government also funds a limited number of places at overseas universities and has licensed US and UK universities to set up programmes in Oman.

Sultan Qaboos University Hospital

The 500-bed teaching hospital, which opened in 1989, has a staff establishment of over one thousand. There are 200 academic staff and some 800 supporting staff. The hospital has advanced diagnostic equipment and specialist departments for paediatrics, gynaecology, internal diseases, surgery, psychiatry, cardiac diseases and out-patients department. The hospital serves as the principal training centre for Omani doctors.

Students Overseas

In year 2002 there were over 20,000 Omani students, of whom just over half were women, studying at universities in forty-five different countries.

Great strides in eradicating illiteracy

More than 40 years ago, the United Nations Organisation, speaking through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, asserted that "everyone has a right to education". The sad fact, however, is that large numbers of people in the world are being denied this basic right. Indeed, data from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimated that the world's adult illiteracy rate in 1970 was approximately 20 per cent.

Following years of neglect, the position in Oman at that time was much worse than the world figures quoted by UNICEF. Figures from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) indicated that in 1970, Oman's adult illiteracy rate was a staggering 65.7 per cent, which comprised of 43.9 per cent of men and 88.3 per cent of women.

The year 1970 was, of course, an important turning point in the history of Oman. In that year, Sultan Qaboos bin Said ascended to the throne signalling the dawn of what has become known as the modern Omani Renaissance. The Sultan immediately appreciated the serious implications of trying to develop the country with a largely illiterate population and expressed his strong resolve to tackle the country's lack of educational provision. He remarked that "educating and training our people should start as soon as possible" and that "the important thing is that there should be education, even under the shadow of trees". By 1975 The Sultan was in a position to state that "we are also working on a plan to eradicate illiteracy". Since then, great efforts have been made both by The Sultan's government and the civil society to target resources aimed at removing barriers which have prevented some Omani citizens from full participation in the country's educational opportunities.

Benefiting from a literate population

The importance that the Sultan placed in developing a literate population has been strongly supported by findings emanating from a large number of worldwide studies and reports. These reports have consistently pointed out that:

Literacy is positively correlated with many dimensions of human development.

It contributes to a long and healthy life and reduced infant mortality subsequent to improved hygiene awareness.

There is an incontrovertible link between a mother's knowledge of reading and writing and the health conditions of her children.

Literacy provides people with the ability to communicate, interact effectively within the societies in which they live and resist marginalisation and exclusion.

A strong relationship exists between the educational success of children in schools and the literacy levels of their parents especially their mothers. Literate parents are much more likely to provide a home with a positive, stimulating environment supportive to learning.

Literacy contributes to the improvement of labour quality and productivity.

Literacy is a valuable instrument in helping to combat and eradicate poverty.

Literacy centres

One of the first steps carried out by the Ministry of Education was to establish a department to specifically focus on literacy education. In 1972-73 centres for literacy education began to be established throughout the country. Teachers were provided and learning materials developed.

Literacy students are provided with a special curriculum, which includes studies in Arabic language, Islamic religious studies, mathematics, culture (involving social studies) and science. Skills deemed to be of special relevance for women, such as childcare and healthy nutrition, are also included in the curriculum. The two-year programme takes students up to the level of grade four and a certificate is awarded to all students who successfully complete the programme. The ministry is presently considering extending the length of the programme to three years and to take the level of literacy skills developed up to grade 6. To this end, UNESCO has agreed to sponsor a workshop to select topics and develop books for the third year of literacy classes in the hope that this new programme will be able to begin in 2007.

From the time of the inception of adult literacy centres in 1973 until 2004, more than 58,000 adults had successfully completed the literacy programme and are now regarded as literate. The number of centres responsible for illiteracy eradication reached a total of 117 in 2003-2004, with 444 classes delivering programmes to more than 6,600 students.

Those who have successfully completed the two-year literacy programme are encouraged to continue their schooling in the adult education centres established by the ministry.

While the literacy centres were regarded as the cornerstone of its policy to fight illiteracy, the Ministry of Education believed that the importance of possessing a literate population demanded that it should seek out as wide a range of methods as possible. The methods it has employed include the following.

In 1976 the government implemented functional literacy programmes for clerks in the country's airports of Seeb and Salalah and for agricultural workers in the village of Rumais.

Schoolteachers have been encouraged to serve as volunteers to teach classes in the literacy programme.

Since 2001, secondary school graduates who have successfully completed a ministry training programme have been employed to teach literacy programmes in villages and remote areas of the country.

A "Learning Village" initiative, which aims to eradicate illiteracy in one village, has been adopted in Oman. As can be seen from the case study below, the village of Miraizi was selected to carry out the first stage of this project.

Programmes are now in place to begin to deal with the problem of illiteracy amongst people with special needs. Brail technology for the education of the blind has been established in Omer bin Al Khattab Institute for the Blind, while Al Wafa Centre in Nizwa and Sohar has developed programmes for deaf and mute students, and a special school for the mentally challenged has been set up.

Those who do not wish to precede to adult education centres are given the opportunity to continue their learning by themselves and are provided with a free set of 30 library books designed for adult self-study. It is hoped that the use of these materials will help them to remain literate.

In 2005 the Ministry of Education launched its Educational Learning Databank. The databank contains activities which have been made up by teachers, other educators, and even students, and which have received approval from the ministry. The activities are categorised by both grade level and by subject and can be accessed by anyone via the World Wide Web. The intention is that teachers will use the databank to enrich their lessons and students and parents will select activities to provide a source for additional extracurricular work. Clearly, the databank's self learning dimension makes it a potentially valuable supplementary educational resource tool for adults attending literacy education centres as well as for those who have completed the two-year literacy programme but who wish to support their prior learning or to use the activities to assist them in moving to a higher level.

Every year, the Ministry of Education commemorates the Arab and International Days for the eradication of illiteracy, with a view to raising citizens' awareness of the negative impacts of illiteracy on individuals and society as a whole.

The Ministry of Education's considerable efforts in directly tackling the problem of adult illiteracy are, of course, a major factor in accounting for these positive results. Another crucial factor, however, is the ministry's efforts to tackle the root causes of illiteracy through reducing the number of children who reach adulthood as illiterates.

A number of major reforms have been introduced into the Omani school system in recent years. The aim of these reforms has been to bring about qualitative improvements to the educational programmes being offered. The ministry has introduced reforms to the curriculum, teaching and learning methodologies, assessment and evaluation systems and in-service training for teachers. The ministry has, for example, encouraged teachers to adopt formative assessment techniques in their classrooms. Research suggests that when teachers use assessment evidence to compare the actual level of their students' performance with the intended level of performance and then use this information to help students close the gap between the two, standards in student learning can be significantly improved. As well as helping to improve standards in the school education system, the reforms are making the programmes more relevant and meaningful to students' needs and this should help to encourage more people to enrol and remain within the system.

The most ambitious of the ministry's reforms concerns the Basic Education initiative which will replace the three stage General Education system with a unified system covering the first ten years of schooling (see Diagram 1 below). Under the General Education system, some students left school at the end of the elementary stage (i.e. grade 6) and others left at the end of preparatory (i.e. grade 9). One major benefit of the Basic Education system, therefore, is the encouragement it gives to such students to extend the level of their education by completing at least ten years schooling.

As can be seen from Table 2 below, school enrolment rates in Oman are already high, although it is expected that they will improve further once the new Basic Education system becomes generalised to all schools.

The ministry has also introduced measures to reduce school failure and drop-out rates. As a result of these measures, the number of students dropping-out of school was cut from 7.1 per cent in 1995-1996 to 2 per cent in 2002-2003.

Moreover, teachers are being helped to recognise and assist students with special needs and community involvement in schools is being encouraged through the promotion of parents' councils. All of these school reform initiatives are seen as an integral element of the ministry's illiteracy strategies as a whole.

Achieving a fully literate population is, therefore, a crucially important step in helping to improve the quality of life enjoyed by all Oman citizens.

The programmes developed by the Ministry of Education have helped the country to take a giant step towards the realisation of the ambitious goal of attaining full literacy. The successful implementation of its vision for the future promises to bring it even closer.

A Master Plan for a National Road System is being designed to strengthen and expand road network in the Sultanate up to the year 2030. The master plan study, led by experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, will cover all regions of the Sultanate, with the exception of Muscat Governorate where road communications are under the purview of Muscat Municipality. It will identify the need for new highways, carriageways and secondary roads as well as suggest improvements to the existing roads.

The 40-45 km Southern Expressway, estimated to cost RO90 million to RO100 million, will link key areas of Muscat city and eventually link Dubai.

Some of the major road projects currently under way include the RO56.2 million Sur-Qurayyat coastal road project. The 88 km dual carriageway will drastically reduce travel time between Muscat and Sur, as well as open up large stretches of the Sultanate's eastern coast to potential tourist and economic development.

This apart, a number of major road contracts have been awarded recently including:

A 40-km link road connecting remote Mahout on the Wusta coast with the Nizwa-Thamrait highway.

Rehabilitation of the Nizwa-Thamrait highway, linking of north Oman with the central and southern regions of the country.

On the other hand Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Isa Al Harthy, minister of transport and communications, yesterday signed 38 agreements worth RO167 million. The agreements came within the ministry's efforts on improving and modernising development services, particularly in the field of road and ports services sector.

The agreements cover construction works of the dock of Sohar seaport (Phase 3); construction of Bishna harbour in Al Wusta region; additional works on the project for construction of docks of the new fishing port in the wilayat of Sohar; annual maintenance works of the Al Dakhiliyah, Al Sharqiyah, Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Musandam governorate, Dhofar governorate, Al Dahirah region and Al Batinah region roads.

The agreements also included asphalt works for a number of dual roads in the Sultanate's several wilayats, in addition to design and construction of roads and consultancy services for a number of road projects among other projects.

The agreements were signed with a number of local and international companies.

The signing ceremony was attended by the undersecretary for transport of the Ministry of Transport and Communications; the undersecretary for civil aviation at the ministry, general managers of the executing companies and a number of officials at the ministry.

In the pursuit of the Council of Ministers to follow up progress of economic and social development programmes being implemented in the wilayats of the Sultanate, a number of ministers made a familiarisation tour of the wilayats of Buraimi and Mahda where they met citizens and discussed with them projects under execution and planned projects in the two wilayats.

The ministers also examined needs of citizens and steps taken by the government in this respect in enhancing development fields witnessed by the two wilayats under the directives of The Sultan Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and his continuous care that serves the interest of the country and achieve prosperity for its people.

Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council, said, in a statement to ONA, that a total of RO108 million was allocated to the wilayats of Buraimi and Mahda, of which RO50 million were for the ongoing and new projects approved in the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan.

He said that over RO44 million was endorsed for the Sohar-Buraimi dual road project and RO17 million for water supply for the two wilayats, in addition to RO10 million for asphalting and lighting of internal road works, construction of residential units, landscaping works and completion of services at the Buraimi Industrial Estate and expansion of Al Rawdha-Buraimi road. The ministers' visit stems from the overall plan by the government to achieve a balanced development for all wilayats of the Sultanate, simplifies the administrative formalities and commercial activities of the citizens at their resident places, which will reflect positively on developing their local communities.

The ministers reviewed a number of projects that the private sector proposed to establish, which includes an integrated tourism project worth approximately RO12 million, in addition to the establishment of a mega commercial centre.

Macki said the new steps initiated by the government included the abolishment of transit fees at the border posts of Wadi Al Jizzi and Wadi Sa'a which came into force.

This step aims at easing trade movement between the wilayats of the Sultanate. "There would be no transit fees for road-users to the wilayats of Buraimi and Mahda, he added.