As soon as he took power, Sultan Qaboos had a clear vision of how he wanted to make his country and its population viable for the future. And indeed, in almost 50 years of reign, he succeeded in ushering in and advancing an era of development and modernization in Oman. The country’s progressive education system significantly contributed to the success of Oman in recent decades. An important component of this educational system is the country’s universities. There is one state university in the country, namely Sultan Qaboos University, which opened in 1986. Today, in addition to a state university, there are also various private universities in the country.

Sultan Qaboos University

In 1986, the first students were admitted to the university. Even at that time, the university was equally accessible to women and men – an educational policy that at the time was unparalleled in the Arab world. And indeed, educational opportunities have been widely used by young women during this time. This explains how in the modern generation, women are increasingly represented in the areas of politics and management on the executive level of the country. Today, the Sultan Qaboos University has the following schools of education:
– Engineering
– Medicine
– Agriculture
– Pedagogy (Science of Education)
– Art and Islamic Studies
– Law Sciences
– Economics
– Natural Sciences
In the academic year 2010/2011, the proportion of women among students was just under 50 %. Nowadays, there is a male quota, as the proportion of female students is over 50 %.

Private universities in Oman

In addition to the state university and a future additional state university to come in the next few years (according to the Sultan), there are five private universities in Oman, listed below:
– University of Sohar
– University of Nizwa
– Dhofar University
– University of Buraimi
– German University of Technology in Oman

Universities in Oman