Night scene on an urban street with young women walking on the sidewalk in Oman.

Education System

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Written by: Luca Krohn , Philip Eichkorn and Michaela Eckmüller Last updated at: May 21, 2025

When Sultan Qaboos Ibn Said seized power in 1970, the education system in the country was outdated and in no way future-oriented. There were only three boys' primary schools in the largest cities of the country, alongside the exclusively religiously motivated Quran school. At that time, only about 900 students were taught by 30 teachers. Given the population of approximately 700,000, the number of students at that time was very small.

From the beginning of his reign, Sultan Qaboos had the plan to lead his people into an era of prosperity and progress. His success in this can be attributed, on one hand, to the oil and gas reserves in the country and, on the other hand, to the development of a functioning and successful education system, which is partially based on the British education system.

How does the Omani education system work?

Sultan Qaboos Ibn Said was educated in England. This is why the school system in Oman is partially modeled after that in England. Thus, students first attend primary school, then middle school, and finally high school. With a high school diploma, one has the opportunity to enroll in a degree program at a higher education institution such as the state university.

The development of the school system is being effectively promoted

The importance of the development of the education system to the government in Oman is evident from the fact that high costs are incurred to make education accessible to everyone in the country. Over 1,530 public and private schools in the country, employing around 50,000 teachers, enable about 700,000 students to achieve a good educational level. Education in Oman is not dependent on income or background. School attendance is free in Oman. About a quarter of civil state expenditures goes into education. It is also notable that about 50% of the students are girls and young women – a rate that corresponds to the population proportions in the country.

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