Muscat: Oman will offer military training to male students in both public and private schools.
Saudi Al Azri, an adviser to the Minister of Education, told Gulf News that the training will be optional and will start at the beginning of the 2017/2018 school year.
The training will help develop awareness about the military and also cultivate discipline, commitment and obedience in Omani students,Al Azri said.
For the first year, the programme will be able to accommodate 3,500 students nationwide and will expand in the subsequent years.
Students will have to undergo a mandatory medical check-up to ensure they are healthy enough to participate in the training.
Royal Armed Forces (RAF) and Royal Oman Police (ROP) staffers will teach students shooting, navigation, battle formation, marching and rifle cleaning techniques, during the five-week programme.
Oman has not yet introduced compulsory military service for Omani men.
In 2014, the UAE and Qatar made military service mandatory for men, followed by Kuwait in 2015.
