Education

There are not a few countries in the Islamic world where education is not equally accessible to everyone. Especially girls are often disadvantaged in such countries when it comes to education. The situation in Oman is quite different. Here, great value is placed on education for every child and also on adult education in general. Sultan Qaboos had promoted literacy in the country as much as the establishment and design of new universities since his accession to the throne around 50 years ago. During the development of the education system in Oman, his time studying in England was certainly an advantage. It is no wonder that the education system has strong ties to the British system, with a high reference to general European standards. The Sultan's goal was to promote adult education as well as to ensure that every child in the country receives a good education. No gender differences are made in this regard. Rather, the government in Oman emphasizes that only well-educated women can raise strong and future-oriented children. Qaboos thus managed to reach even those in his people who adhere to traditional gender roles in his arguments for women's education. He argued that women in a modern world can only fulfill their roles as caretakers of the home and educators of children if they have sufficient education. In this way, he skillfully created the possibility of uniformly educating the entire population and gradually defusing and changing the gender roles entrenched in older generations.