HH Sayyid Theyazin Launches National System for Evaluating School Performance.

Muscat: HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, today presided over the launch of the 'National System for Evaluating School Performance' in the Sultanate of Oman. The ceremony was organised by the 'Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAAQA)'. According to Oman News Agency, the new system seeks to encourage educational institutions to develop their own internal sub-systems to ensure quality towards the realization of the goals of Oman Vision 2040, which accords top priority to education. The 'National System for Evaluating School Performance' is based on a multi-level evaluation scale comprising 'outstanding' performances (to be emulated by schools), 'good', 'suitable' and 'poor' (performances that fail to meet minimum quality standards and require rapid intervention). The system utilizes 8 main performance evaluation tools applied in the approach to school education: Comprehensiveness, impact measurement, student centricity, national and international standards, accuracy of procedures, transparency, neutrality, improvement and accountability. The launch of the system comes in line with the tasks of the Authority, which is keen on maintaining an educational level that achieves international standards. The system introduces a comprehensive strategy to enhance the efficiency of government and private schools through accurate review and comprehensive reports. The Authority was keen on developing these educational standards that meet the national goals and visions, as well as the requirements of the labour market and keep pace with global updates. The Authority, represented by the Centre for Quality Assurance of School Education, issued the 'National System for Evaluating School Performance' after several stages of development, experimentation and review. Through this process, the Authority focused on analysing relevant documents and studies and in-depth study of a number of regional and international experiences and practices. The new system is set to cause a positive transition in the performance of schools in the Sultanate of Oman, enabling them to continuously improve their performance. The evaluation mechanism will be followed up through field visits by specialists, who will draft reports that reflect the strengths and opportunities for improvement. This will lend support to school supervisory bodies in developing better strategic plans. The new system also seeks to build sustainable partnerships with the Ministry of Education and relevant authorities with the objective of achieving integration and enhancing the quality of education in the Sultanate of Oman. The Authority is keen to cooperate with specialized international and regional institutions and exchange expertise in the field. The system consolidates the Sultanate of Oman's position as a distinguished educational centre at the regional and international levels. This will in turn help in establishing a stimulating and innovative educational environment that drives students ' comprehensive growth and meets the aspirations of parents and society. The ceremony was attended by some Royal family members, ministers, members of the State Council, undersecretaries, members of the Shura Council and interested parties.