News & Event

The Ministry of Education signed two cooperation agreements with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) to implement a number of educational programs for students in PDO concession areas and to establish two additions for preparatory classes (early education) in these schools. The signing of these agreement took place at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Education by Abdullah Al Saadi, Director-General of the Directorate-General of Financial Affairs, and on behalf of PDO by Eng. Mohammed Al Aghbari, Director of External Affairs, Government Relations, and Communications.

Regarding the community partnership between the Ministry of Education and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in the implementation of educational programs for students of the company’s concession schools, Abdullah Al Saadi, Director-General of the Directorate-General of Financial Affairs, said: “These local and international programs fall within the interests of the Ministry of Education in cooperation with PDO, due to their future importance in providing students in concession areas with a number of skills that contribute to building their future educational, academic and professional personalities. These programs include: “Marifa” program, which is a summer program implemented in one of the higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman; to raise the level of academic readiness of these students, and increase their success rates in scholarships, by providing them with basic skills in learning the English language and intensive academic and non-academic activities; “Tazeez” program, which is a summer program implemented outside the Sultanate of Oman; to introduce these students to different cultures and educational environments, develop their ability to adapt to change, and enable them to speak English, and a specialized professional program (Masar) in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor; to equip these students with the future skills needed by the labor market, and to chart their career paths in a scientific manner that helps them choose their academic and professional specializations. Among these programs is also the “Engineering Village Camp,” a summer program that presents the basics of electronics and control engineering, application and website development, the Internet of Things and smart cities, robotics and automation programming, drone programming, and artificial intelligence applications. School Awareness Campaigns program is another one that aims to raise awareness of the importance of these educational programs offered by the company, including the internal scholarship program in higher education institutions and the mechanism for joining them.”

About the establishment of two additions for preparatory classes in the company's concession areas, Al-Saadi said: "Expanding the provision of preparatory class services to students in the concession areas for early childhood education contributes to enhancing and raising the level of education for students in line with their educational levels, by providing the necessary foundational stage to raise their performance levels in subsequent educational stages. This contributes to achieving the educational goals that the ministry seeks to achieve in partnership with the private sector."

For his part, Younis Al Amri, Community Development Manager at Petroleum Development Oman, said: “We are proud of our strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, which embodies our unwavering commitment to supporting education and developing the capabilities of students in our concession areas. These diverse educational programs aim not only to raise students' educational and academic proficiency, but also to empower them with the life and professional skills necessary to build a promising future and contribute to the future development of their local communities.”