Councils a must for govt schools in Oman

Government schools in Oman must introduce councils at both school and wilayat level to work on increasing cooperation and enhancing student experience, the Ministry of Education has announced.

These councils, which will be comprised of both staff and parents, will oversee how schools interact with parents and work hand in hand with parents to resolve any issues.

Both school and wilayat councils will be able to accept donations from inside Oman in order to help them achieve their objectives.

These include communicating and liaising with guardians, participating in school events and meetings and presenting a report to the Director General and the head of the wilayat council, as well as implementing their recommendations.

Wilayat councils, which are headed by the wali and feature parents and educators as members, will then act as a bridge between the councils and the Ministry of Education to ensure that young people across Oman have access to the most beneficial student experiences possible, including strengthening links between schools in the wilayat and the private sector and keeping up to date with educational ideas and developments.

Both school and wilayat councils will feature educational, social, school activity, and financial committees which will aid the council in achieving its goals, and both will be able to accept donations. Furthermore, the councils must have their own bank accounts, which must be approved by the Ministry of Education.

The Wilayat Council is to be chaired by the Wali or a representative and will consist of a municipal council member, up to four heads of government [educational] offices , at least two heads or the managers of private companies, the head of the sports club in the wilayat and the head of the local chapter of the Oman Women’s Association.

In addition, two school principals, and two supervisors of school subjects in the wilayat, as well as a supervisor of school administration will be on the council.

School councils are headed by staff and include active participation by the parents, with between seven and ten students depending on the size of the school.

These council members are picked from a general assembly which includes all parents, as well as all faculty of the school and those employed within it.