Muscat: Majlis A’Shura hosted Dr Madiha bint Ahmed al Shaibani, Minister of Education, on Wednesday to discuss the ministry’s progress in school education policies, quality of education, human resource development, training and private school education in the sultanate.

Dr Madiha highlighted the continued growth of the education sector, driven by government support and Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. The number of students in government schools increased from 678,000 in the 2020/2021 academic year to 817,000 in 2024/2025, marking a 20.5% growth. The number of schools is also set to rise, reaching 1,306 in 2025/2026, compared to 1,182 in 2020/2021, reflecting a 10.4% increase.

The ministry has expanded teacher recruitment, appointing 15,000 Omani teachers in the first four years of the 10th Five-Year Plan, compared to 6,800 during the ninth plan. An additional 4,000 teachers – primarily Omanis – are expected to join in 2025/2026, taking the total number of teachers appointed under the current plan to over 19,000.

The number of private and international schools, including kindergartens, increased to 1,223 in the 2024/2025 academic year from 880 in 2019/2020 – up 39%. Student enrolment in private schools has also grown from 189,000 in 2019/2020 to 233,000 in 2024/2025, including 96,000 in pre-school education.

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