His Majesty on Education

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said As-Said has led the Sultanate of Oman since 23 July, 1970.  Under his guidance the Sultanate of Oman has demonstrated a remarkable story of societal progress and stability.  Education has been a corner-stone of His Majesty's vision for the prosperity of the Sultanate and its people.  Before his reign, the Sultanate had few institutions of formal education, and no institutions of higher education.  The University of Nizwa is the first non-profit university in the Sultanate of Oman.  As an institution of higher education serving the interior region of Al-Dakhiliya, the University of Nizwa strives to play its part in the development of the Sultanate, and to promote those values most congruent with the Sultan's vision.  Below you will find several relevant excerpts from His Majesty on the topic of education and its role in the future of the Sultanate.     

We are living in the era of science, and witnessing continuous growth in various fields.  This development has strengthened our certainty in science and hard-work as the joint means through which we will meet the challenges of this era, and build a strong and propserous renaissance founded on Islamic and cultural values. 

Nov 9, 1986

When we get to higher education, we are required to add to that knowledge of new knowledge.  We have to discuss, devise, and think.  We also have to correct before us the knowledge that was based on theories as these theories are renewed.  We do not say that what we have received in the past is not knowledge; rather, knowledge is not absolute: Knowledge is renewable. 

May 2, 2000

We are paying the bulk of our attention to education - striving to develop, to improve, and to upgrade it; and to update, deepen, enrich, and adapt current knowledge of the ever-changing world according to the importance the Sultanate gives to the development of human resources, the consolidation of approaches to scientific-thinking, the composition of the educated generation involved in the development process, and deal with local and global changes with efficiency and professionalism. 

October 4, 2005