News & Event

The Ministry of Education, represented by the Directorate-General of Special Education and Continuous Learning, participates in the activities of the sixth annual festival for people with disabilities 2025, which is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in an event that promotes the presence of sports as a bridge for inclusion and inspiration, and celebrates the determination that is evident in the details of this annual event.

The festival witnesses the participation of (124) students representing special education institutions, including Al Amal School for the Deaf, the School of Intellectual Education, and Omar Bin Al Khattab Institute for the Blind, in addition to students of auditory and intellectual integration programs in various educational directorates, which reflects the wide scope of the event, and its keenness to accommodate different groups.

Dr. Amal Al-Hatali, Director of the Special Education Department at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry’s representative on the main organizing committee for the sixth annual festival for people with disabilities, said that the festival, which is held under the slogan “Determination and Challenge”, constitutes a national platform to raise awareness of disability issues, promote social inclusion, and discover sporting talents, in line with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.

She emphasized in her speech the adoption of digital transformation for the first time in the festival, through the electronic registration system for participants, supervisors, judges, and volunteers, which contributed to raising the efficiency of the organization and facilitating procedures. She added: “The festival embodies a model of effective partnership between governmental and private entities and enhances efforts to empower people with disabilities and provide them with fair opportunities to participate and be creative.”

This year, the festival offers a range of new programs and competitions that provide participants with broader sporting experiences, from recreational games for children, through table tennis competitions and powerlifting demonstrations, to shooting competitions with weapons, in a step aimed at promoting diversity in activities and stimulating promising talents.

The festival's activities also include specialized training sessions aimed at qualifying referees in multiple fields. The training program includes sessions on international refereeing for boccia, table tennis, and badminton, which contributes to raising the efficiency of national cadres and the sustainability of work in this field.

The festival seeks to achieve a set of goals centered around promoting community awareness of disability issues, establishing the principles of inclusion with all segments of society, discovering, and recruiting sports talents to Paralympic teams, as well as training those working in disability activities and sports, in order to ensure the continued development of this vital sector.