NEWS
Omantel and Oman MoE sign agreement to teach primary students IT and coding skills
knowledge-based economy . The curriculum will be applied to students in grades one to four in public schools , single-language private schools and The Diwan schools , the Royal Omani Orchestra and the Royal Oman Police schools for a period of three academic years , starting from the 2021 – 2022 academic year .
Dr Al Shaibaniyah said : “ The process of developing national competencies and capabilities is one of the main pillars of Oman Vision 2040 alongside with the aim of building the capabilities of citizens .
The Ministry of Education ( MoE ) and
Omantel have signed an agreement to develop IT and coding courses for primary school students at a cost of 50,000 Omani rial ( US $ 130,000 ).
The agreement was signed by Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed al Shaibaniyah , Minister of
Education and Talal bin Saeed al Maamari , CEO , Omantel .
The agreement aims to develop an educational curriculum to provide students with the skills of the future and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in line with Oman Vision 2040 , which aims to create a
“ In addition to that is preparing them with a high degree of scientific and practical competence , arming them with strength and will to build a prosperous society capable of facing Global challenges and changes , and equipping them with the skills required for the future in light of the tremendous technical development .”
Agro-climatic regions set ground for Oman ’ s rich biodiversity
Oman ’ s diverse agro-climatic regions have set an impressive ground for the country ’ s rich biodiversity for food and agriculture , a Food and Agriculture Organisation ( FAO ) report has said .
The FAO has dwelt upon Oman ’ s wellperceived plan to protect the country ’ s biodiversity that forms the basis for the long-term national economic plan in terms of diversification of the agricultural production and sustainable utilisation of existing resources .
Among the livestock , the country has a wide diversity of animal breeds of sheep , goats , cattle and camel , besides crop plants for food or feed purpose in addition to other human use .
“ Oman has not only several locally adapted breeds of both small and large ruminants besides poultry , but it has also diverse
cultivars and landraces of crop species and unexplored wild relatives of some crop plants as well as wild foods in the forest areas which can be explored for use ,” the report said .
However , FAO has listed some challenges for the country ’ s agricultural biodiversity . Soil quality , water salinity , drought , scarcity of irrigation water and high grazing pressure by the increased number of livestock , are some major challenges listed in the FAO report .
“ These factors are inevitably posing a serious threat to the very survival of Omani indigenous species and cultivars in its rich biodiversity . A similar situation exists concerning aquaculture and fisheries ,” the report added .
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