MUSCAT, 31 August 2007 — A plan to create Oman’s first private university that has been kicked around since 2003 is finally set to see the light of day very shortly.
“The Ministry of Higher Education is waiting for a number of documents to be completed before issuing a ministerial decision that would announce the commencement of studies at the new university,” said Higher Education Minister Rawya bint Saud Al-Busaidiya, the first Omani woman to hold the post.
A ministerial decision, issued in August 2006, announced the establishment of Muscat University. Muscat University is being formed through a merger of four existing colleges; namely: Modern College of Business and Science, Caledonian College of Engineering, Mazoon College for Management and Applied Sciences and Oman Medical College.
“The transformation of these colleges within the fabric of a new and higher-level organization will form the nucleus of Muscat University, bringing the total of private universities in the Sultanate to six. Major fields of study at this university will include medicine, engineering, commerce, business, IT, economics, arts and sciences,” said Al-Busaidiya.
Al-Busaidiya told the Observer newspaper in an interview published yesterday: “The inauguration of Muscat University is expected to raise the standards of study within the capital, as facilities and resources, formerly at the college level, will be upgraded and will include an emphasis on research and higher scholarship.
“A new synergy is likely to result from the merger and transformation of these four diverse institutions within a university structure with interdependent faculties.
“The new university will also bring considerable advantages to students who will have the benefit of a large institution richer in learning resources, research facilities and program options.”
As a result of a increase in the number of secondary school, the government has been encouraging the private sector to invest in higher education through the establishment of private universities and colleges.
Since the establishment of the first private college in 1995, 23 higher education institutions have come up in the country, with close to 17,000 new entrants each year. Muscat University will remain on different campuses but later on, experts believe, they may build a common campus.
