These institutions, which are spread among nations including China, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, confront a formidable obstacle in maintaining academic standards in the face of varied geopolitical and cultural contexts. Recruiting qualified teachers, maintaining continuous funding, and adhering to regional and Pakistani educational laws are additional difficulties.
Notwithstanding these obstacles, the Pakistani community and the Omani government have both recognized the impressive turnaround that the Pakistani schools in Oman have experienced. The seven schools in Oman provide a vital link to high-quality education for about 10,000 pupils, serving a population of 400,000.
Muscat, Seeb, Buraimi, Nizwa, Sohar, Salala, and Sewaig are the locations of these schools. These schools underwent a two-year transformation from a condition of structural, financial, and academic deterioration in 2022, overcoming opposition from within the community and restrictive bylaws.
These organizations, which were previously the targets of nepotism, corruption, and internal conflicts, were suspended due to poor governance by the Omani government.
But today, they are thriving intellectually and financially, and they are regarded as the most reasonably priced, high-quality educational options available to Oman’s working class Pakistanis.This change has been so significant that, in an unprecedented move, the Omani government has set aside 18 kanals in Muscat for a brand-new, cutting-edge Pakistani school—the first such allotment in 40 years—in order to meet the growing demand for enrollment.
Ameer Hamza, the head of the Pakistan Schools board, told Dawn over the phone, “This is a result of the amazing turnaround in the fortune of the Pakistan school system.”
Imran Ali Chaudhry, Pakistan’s ambassador in Muscat, was instrumental in this turnaround, he said.
The actions included removing political tool price waivers, bringing in contemporary teaching materials, and using the Cambridge system in all classes to increase students’ chances of pursuing further education.The ambassador’s most significant action was to oppose the special interests of the local officials who were criticizing the school board. Local laws had to be used as a last resort in certain situations.
After fee exemptions ended, Pakistanis in need received assistance from the Public Welfare Fund of the embassy.
The implementation of the Cambridge system in all classes, which allowed students from low-income families to pursue further education abroad, was one of the most astounding accomplishments. This measure, which had long been discussed but never taken, was eventually approved with Mr. Chaudhry’s backing.An embassy officer in charge of the school system said, “With this one step, the school system has been elevated a level up into the realm of quality schools.”
The other extraordinary accomplishment was turning a nine-year deficit of hundreds of thousands of dollars (or an average yearly loss of $300,000 to $400,000) into a $125,000 surplus. The improved reputation of the school resulted in a 1200 student increase.
The principal of Pakistan School in Sohar stated, “There is a waiting list of hundreds of students in each branch—earlier we waited for seats to be filled.”
