Educational Challenges in Oman and Omanisation
THE Omanisation policy of the Government of His Majesty the Sultan reflects a firm commitment to develop young Omanis, both male and female, in order that they may fully participate in the economic and social development of Oman. This commitment is summed up in the following excerpt from His Majesty’s address:
“As we pursue our priority of rehabilitating and training our human resources to conform with our development plans and satisfy the demands of our national development, we shall, with God’s will, also pursue our care for our Omani youth.”
His Majesty’s Government recognises that human resources are a key element in the process of development, in order that they may be able to play a more active role in the national economy. In this respect, it is necessary to extend and develop educational and training programmes, and improve nutritional and public health conditions. Such educational and training programmes aim at vocational training for various productive sectors and not only training for government administration.
On the occasion of the 20th National Day, His Majesty stated that “the process of Omanisation will take place gradually without compromise to productivity”, and he also said that “Omanisation is the basic requirement for the process of the economic and social development. Without it, we cannot create a future generation with a higher standard of living”. Therefore, in preparing young Omanis for entry into the labour force, both the private and public sectors are responsible for training and education in order to ease the pressure of under utilisation of Omani manpower.
This article will examine various training and educational programmes available to young Omanis and the role-played by the government. Shortly after accession, His Majesty the Sultan outlined the goals of education as “the spreading of education all over the Sultanate so that every citizen will get a share of education determined by his capabilities”. His Majesty’s education policy has been realised due to the progress made in education over the past 20 years. Education has shaped the daily lives of our school children along with parents, who assist their children to achieve higher grades.
Prior to 1970, Oman had only three elementary schools with 909 students and 30 teachers. Omani families were faced with the difficult choice of either sending their children away for schooling or not educating them at all. In 1970 the Ministry of Education was given the responsibility of drawing up plans, programmes and projects to enable every child in the Sultanate of Oman to receive free education. The most important institute of higher education is Sultan Qaboos University which was inaugurated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. In 1987/88 it received 1,127 students of which 678 were males and 449 females. By 1989/90, the total number of students enrolled reached 1,550. The total number of students enrolled in the educational system is 333,286 of which 181,900 are males and 151,386 are females.
Government investment in education is driven by a policy of continuous expansion of the educational system, with the priority given to areas with high population density. This policy of continuous expansion of education system enables all citizens of the Sultanate to have access to the educational system. There are now three private universities — Sohar, Dhofar and Nizwa, and 13 private colleges, besides six education colleges and industrial colleges.
The purpose of such a policy is to equip young Omanis with the knowledge and skills needed to function within a changing economy and create a society which can share the responsibilities and challenges that come with economic development. The Omani people, whether rich or poor, rural or urban dwellers, have shown tremendous interest and have responded positively to the government’s call by enrolling their children, boys and girls alike. The government faces the task of accommodating this demand. In 1971 government investment in education was only 4 per cent of total government expenditure of RO0.8 million. Within ten years it rose to RO9.4 million. However the relative share declined to 2.4 per cent in 1989. Total government investment in education amounted to RO15.5 million with a relative share of a total expenditure of 5.4 per cent
The high economic growth rate that the Sultanate has achieved under the leadership of His Majesty in all sectors of the economy and the shortage of a skilled local labour force were the prime factors in stimulating a high level of foreign labour, both skilled and unskilled. Foreign labour was required to balance the economically motivated demand for labour and supplies, which determines skill levels and wages. Foreign labour was employed to satisfy social desires and for the private benefit of employers.
The government has launched several initiatives to equalise the labour market. In June 1972, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (now Ministry of Manpower) was created. It was later given the responsibility of implementing Labour Law No 40 of 1977 that was amended lately. The Directorate General of Labour Affairs was assigned with the duty of safeguarding the interests of employees and employers.
This includes handling applications from Omani job seekers, receiving applications from persons wishing to recruit from abroad and also receiving complaints regarding work-related injuries, wages, end of service compensation, issuing labour cards to expatriates and keeping records of job descriptions. The Directorate General also employs inspectors who make field visits to ensure that the provisions of the law are being complied with and take action where necessary.
Before examining the statistics of private sector employment a definition of the indicators used should be given. Private sector employment statistics do not register the number of Omanis employed in the sector. The number of non-Omanis is estimated from the number of labour cards issued less the number of labour cards cancelled upon departure from the Sultanate. The private sector acknowledges its role in creating jobs and expanding employment bases by encouraging young Omanis to enter this sector. Many companies, banks, financial institutions and others are employing more and more Omanis in response to the government’s call for Omanisation.
In theory, there is nothing wrong with employing foreign workers in any given economy. Lately, many developed countries are employing more foreign workers so that the national output of the given economy will increase. However, when foreign workers are concentrated in the production force there may be some form of economic and cultural indifference which could effect the country’s development process. Therefore, in response to changing Omani demographics and the growing number of students in various levels of education, Omani policy makers acknowledge the requirement for non-Omani manpower “skilled or unskilled”. This, however, should not overshadow the need to speed up the Omanisation process by a committed and serious plan to ensure that Omanis systematically replace expatriates.
The trend, as in all other sectors, is consistently the same: rising recruitment in Omanis is buttressed by an increase of non-Omanis. This highlights one of the problems of rapid development programmes. The speed at which a once traditional society is changing to a modern one necessitates a skilled and professional labour force to perform the demanding functions of development and modernisation. With the adoption of wise policies, Oman can reduce its dependency on an expatriate labour force by training and preparing its own citizens to take over the vital functions performed by foreigners. Moreover, such a progressive Omanisation programme must be kept in tandem with diversification strategies of the sources of national revenues away from heavy reliance on oil.
In addition, the government and the respective ministries and private sectors should establish a policy of co-ordination among themselves, especially on issues of common concerns such as development and Omanisation of the workforce. The administration has to have more innovative strategies and provide greater incentives which will motivate Omani society directly to take responsibility for their national development, and ensure that the private sector acts as the engine for achieving national development goals, both short-and long-term.
Although Omanisation is a success, the rapid high school graduation which this year amounted to 45,000, and the increase of school leavers, remains a challenge to the government, which needs to have another look at our higher education and training strategies. If people were convinced that their participation has consequences for their future and that of the country, this would induce greater commitment on their part to positive action.
If, on the other hand, they felt alienated from the process of national development, they can even frustrate progress. Motivation of Omani society may require many sacrifices and hard work but once set into motion, there is hope for a brighter future for all. Long and short term strategies are needed for education and training in order to overcome the school leavers and unemployment rate among Omani young people.
Oman Observer, 10th August 2004
