Oman education: Expat teachers fill quality gap in schools as Omanisation dips

Muscat: There are more expatriate teachers working in Oman’s schools due to the “rarity of Omani graduates in some majors,” according to the ‘Education Indicators’ report released by the Education Council.
The Omanisation rate in the education sector was 6.5 per cent lower last year, when compared with the 2010/2011 rate.
The Omanisation rate was 89.2 per cent in public schools in the educational year 2010/2011, but fell to 83.4 per cent in 2014/2015, a decrease of 1.76 per cent per year.
The decline was far higher in private education institutes; the Omanisation rate in these institutions fell to 25.6 per cent last year, from 38 per cent in 2010/2011.
The report stated that while the number of expatriate teachers rose steadily in 2014/2015, the number of Omani teachers “slightly increased.”
“This resulted in a gradual decrease in Omanisation in teachers’ positions,” the report said.
The decline, according to the report, is due to the “rarity of Omani graduates in some majors,” a gap that was ultimately filled with expatriate manpower.
In addition to the retirement and death of Omani teachers, some local teachers want to enjoy retirement advantages after completing the minimum years of service, which is contributing to the decline of Omanisation among teachers, the report pointed out.
“Moreover, more students are being enrolled yearly in the Sultanate’s schools, hence, more teachers are needed,” the report argued.
Despite these factors, the Omanisation rate is expected to spike in the coming years, thanks to teacher development and training programmes, according to the Education Council.
Further, a retired Arabic teacher argued that expatriate teachers are more qualified, as higher education in the country is “not good enough to develop teachers.”
“I encourage hiring of more expatriate teachers in our schools to improve the results of our students,” he stated.