New academic year to resume in Oman after long weekend

Muscat: When the new academic year for schools in Oman begins on November 1, students from grades 1 to 11 in public schools will undergo online studies while students of grade 12 will attend classes as well as take blended learning.

Kindergarten pupils will only have online classes. At a press conference held by the Supreme Committee today, the Undersecretary to the Ministry of Education confirmed that private and international schools will apply the blended study curriculum for attendance. This is applicable for all grades except grade 12 students who will have to attend all classes.

If parents are not in favour of sending their wards to school, a request to this effect will have to be submitted. Private schools will use distance education for this academic year with the appropriate and necessary systems in place to ensure a seamless provision for teaching.

The undersecretary also discussed easy access to educational platforms that can even be done through a smart phone. Except perhaps for computer classes, for students of grades five to nine. Focus for first-grade students will be on four academic courses, namely Arabic, English, Mathematics and Islamic Culture.

Around 400,000 students will study online during this academic year, constituting about 80 to 83 per cent of the total students. Dr Seif Al Abri, General Director of Disease Control and Control at the Ministry of Health informed that the virus infected cases in schools and universities were found among teaching and administrative staff due to contact.

No foci (localised clusters) of the virus have been recorded in any educational institutions. Most of the infected cases were not from institutions but from community members, it was mentioned during the press conference.