Message From Chairman

At the very outset, we salute the wise leadership of the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said – may his soul rest in peace – whose benevolence was instrumental in starting the first Indian School in Muscat and whose generosity paved way for the establishment of 21 Indian Schools over the years. We pledge our allegiance to His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq – may the Almighty preserve him – and His Majesty’s vision of a renewed renaissance for the Sultanate of Oman.

Indian Schools in Oman are one of the most successful Community Schools in the region, despite the challenges involved in delivering the Indian curriculum outside India. Thanks to the Board’s futuristic vision and the support from all stakeholders and the relentless assistance and
guidance of the Ministry of Education, Sultanate of Oman.

Today, Indian Schools in Oman cater to the educational needs of more than 45,500 students. As community-driven schools, every child from the Indian Community is given admission and quality education is provided at a very affordable fee, which is sometimes much lower than the fee charged by schools in India even with fewer facilities. This is despite the fact that the fee collected by the schools is the only source of revenue; there is no institutional or government funding for the Indian Schools.

The essence of Community Schools is to address the needs of a community. As the Indian community consists of people speaking different languages, the need for introducing more languages has been felt by the present Board. In this regard, this Board has taken a policy decision to introduce the top two regional languages in major schools from the academic year 2023-24.

To achieve the all-round personality development of students, the Board has initiated a number of collaborative activities such as Indian Schools Talent Fest (ISTF), Indian Schools Film Fest (ISFF), Avenir (Career Guidance Programme), STAI (Science, Technology And Innovation), ISQUIZ, Polemic Challenge, etc. All these programmes are aimed at encouraging collaboration, communication, technology and critical thinking – the 21 st century skills for holistic development.

With the advancement of technology, education has become borderless and globally accessible. One of the most notable e-learning tools is the Learning Management System that enhances the learning experience by helping teachers in planning, teaching and assessing the learning progress of students.

The Indian Schools Virtual Learning Environment (ISOVLE) had pioneered online teaching even before the pandemic. The virtual platform developed and managed by the Board is now shared with the Schools intending to capacitate them to develop their own Learning Management System through ISOVLE without incurring any development cost. Training programmes are being organized to equip the VLE coordinators of Schools to manage, enhance and train other teachers to make use of the portal efficiently.

A number of students who graduate from Indian Schools in Oman pursue courses in Engineering and Medicine in India every year.

They have to pass entrance examinations to get admissions in colleges – Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for Engineering and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission in Medical Colleges. To prepare children for this challenging path, the Board has come forward to identify suitable resources, recommend and monitor them for the students at a lower cost.

The Psychometric Assessments conducted for the students of the senior section help in guiding the students to charter their future course of study and career. Students get a comprehensive report on their aptitudes at the end of the assessment. The Board conducts this assessment free of cost for the senior students of Indian Schools.

The hallmark of community schools is to provide the best service to the community. This has been the guiding principle of Indian Schools in Oman. The centralized procurement of textbooks and notebooks, one of the recent initiatives of the present Board, is an obvious example of cost
reduction for the parents.

Along with the above initiatives, the Board has also commenced the consolidation programs for its schools through the implementation of School Development Programs. Under this initiative, each school will establish a systematic approach to the governance of the school by charting out its journey to the next level of achievement. Towards this end, each school will review its Vision and Mission and roll out an organized course of action within a specific time frame with appropriate accountability. These measures will assist all stakeholders to understand and support our schooling system in their respective roles in the most efficient manner.

Yet another developmental strategy of the Board to facilitate the professional growth of the teachers is the plan to organize an International Teachers’ Conference that could potentially benefit our teachers to elevate their knowledge and skills. Such exposure will have a long-term influence in the professional lives of teachers as they get the experience of listening and presenting various ideas and innovative methods that make learning in schools more effective and joyful.

Another opportunity for the development of our schooling system that the Board foresees is the implementation of the new National Education Policy as rolled out by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. Under this policy, there are ample opportunities for learners and teachers to experience skill-based learning and teaching. It also envisages an active research-orientated approach at the school level which would be of great boost for the learners to sharpen their skills and help them to achieve greater academic pursuits.

I take this opportunity to thank the community leaders who serve on the Management Committees of different Indian Schools, the Principals and teachers who are indefatigable in giving their best for the holistic development of students, and the parents who nurture the Schools with their support. Let us strive to take our Schools to the next level of achievement – the Best in the World.