Muscat: HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, affirmed that good citizenship takes centre stage in national thinking and that the Sultanate of Oman adheres to its customs, history, culture and heritage.

‘We were and are still open to the world and we continue to extend a helping hand and espouse friendship and peace in pursuit of what serves the interests of the Sultanate of Oman,’ HH Sayyid Theyazin added.

This was unveiled during the second panel discussion titled ‘Culture, Sports, Youth, Media and National Identity’. The dialogue session took place as part of the activities of the second edition of ‘Together We Progress’ forum organized by the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers.

HH Sayyid Theyazin pointed out that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth has come a long way in consolidating Omani identity, getting impetus from the country’s traditions and ancient history. He explained that, within the context of attention accorded to youth, an Omani
encyclopedia will be launched in the near future to enlighten emerging generations.

Speaking about the sports sector, HH Sayyid Theyazin stressed that more attention would be accorded to all that young people aspire for. The Ministry is embarked on re-evaluating the sports sector in Oman, seeking assistance of a specialized firm, said Sayyid Theyazin, noting that the company will undertake a supervisory role in this sector. The company will take measures to upgrade the performance of sports federations and clubs in line with public aspirations.

HH Sayyid Theyazin reviewed the sports city project scheduled to be established in the wilayat of Al Musanaa in the South Al Batinah Governorate in implementation of the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. For this purpose, a prestigious international company has been recruited to undertake the project, with the overall plan covering maintenance of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.

‘The Ministry is also considering the privatization
of clubs, and a plan is under way to start with four clubs that will be affiliated to major companies. We will begin applying some standards to improve the performance of these clubs, with emphasis on a specific activity and look out for the desired results, before proceeding with the rest,’ HH Sayyid Theyazin added.

During the third dialogue session, titled ‘Media and the National Identity’, Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al Harrasi, Minister of Information announced the start of two strategic projects on ‘soft power’ that will be informed by culture, sports, media, identity and the civilization of the Sultanate of Oman. The aim is to raise the status the country, highlight its history and transfer it to future generations, said Dr. Abdullah, adding that the Ministry of Information will on Sunday launch three documentary films about Oman and its historical presence. The films were produced in cooperation with a global company specialized in cultural documentation.

The Ministry will also launch a documentary book abou
t the Sultanate of Oman, he said.

The Minister pointed out that the issue of identity and culture constitutes one of the most important determinants endorsed by government in Oman, and that those familiar with the Basic Law of the State would observe that the issue of culture and identity is sufficiently defined in its provision. He stressed that the issue of culture and identity represents a major pillar in Omani statehood and all forms of nation building.

The Minister laid emphasis on the importance of developing various local media institutions to keep pace with the progress taking place in modern media, including artificial intelligence. ‘There is a great opportunity to invest in the media field, and the Ministry is according great attention to children and their upbringing,’ said Dr. Abdullah. He noted that examples of this attention include the establishment of Ayn Platform, Children’s Supplement in Oman Arabic Daily newspaper and Children’s Channel project, which is now completed and ready to be laun
ched as soon as financial resources become available.

For his part, Dr.Mahad Said Ba’owain, Minister of Labour, said during the first discussion panel titled ‘Labour, Employment, Economy and Investment’ that the sector is influenced by various economic factors, and there is a trend in the Ministry and the government to delegate the responsibility of employment of jobseekers to other authorities concerned, each according to its specialty, needs and the availability of resources and training programmes. ‘If these conditions are not met, then foreign expertise can be sought,’ said the Minister.

Ba’owain explained that special committees have been formed to supervise the governance process in various sectors, including tourism, education, agriculture, transport and communications. The committees will determine the required human resources and training, and then align these with existing labour market needs. Thus, the overall employment process can be more streamlined and integrated.

The Minister explained that
steps are underway to generate 35,000 employment opportunities in the public and private sectors, and those will be announced at the annual conference.

Meanwhile, Dr. Said Mohammed Al Saqri,Minister of Economy, underscored the significance of reforming the labour market, noting that the 10th Five Year Plan espoused a set of policies and procedures to this effect.

He added that another issue of great importance to the government is the automation of the construction sector. This, he said, is done in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.

Al Saqri also laid emphasis on the need to change some policies pertaining to the registration of visas and the issuance of investor visas with the aim of increasing the number of qualified people in the labour market. He also stressed the importance of harmonizing the outcomes of education and training with the requirements of the labour market.

He noted that provisions in the new labour law have been introduced to give the worker ad
ditional rights, raise the worker’s efficiency and link productivity, compensation and recruitment-related programmes with the objective of raising the worker’s efficiency in the private sector.

The conclusion of the second edition of ‘Together We Progress’ form included the announcement of winners of many initiatives and projects that highlighted the themes of the forum.

Source: Oman News Agency