Quality Assurance Perspectives In Higher Education In Oman … Can They Lead To Structuring An Effective Higher Education System?
Quality Assurance Perspectives In Higher Education In Oman … Can They Lead To Structuring An Effective Higher Education System?
...system when many of the conditions necessary for its success are not present. There is growing interest in the quality of higher education in Oman; now that the structure of the system of Higher Education has been established with more than fifty institutions offering programmes to approximately forty thousand students, the Sultanate is turning its attention to the quality of the system in the context of the challenges of a globalised world with its rapidly accelerating knowledge economy based on information technologies. Considering the higher education endeavours in Oman, there is no evidence of a uniform mode of quality assurance and accreditation for all the programmes being offered throughout the country. The current paper attempts to critically evaluate the Quality Assurance implications of the Quality Plan designed by Oman Higher Education authorities with particular reference to the two forms of programme approval: accreditation of local degrees and recognition of foreign-accredited degrees offered in the country. There seems a dilution of the term Quality norms with reference to the programmes offered by local private higher education providers and foreign universities in the country and it will be of interest to know where balance in uniformity lies in accrediting programmes and institutions offering higher education in the country. The objective of the paper is to examine and highlight as to whether the codes for accreditation and quality assurance can lead to enhanced educational standards in Oman on par with developed countries.
A Brief History of Higher Education in Oman
Prior to 1970 there was no formal higher education in Oman. During this time, insufficient, inadequate or inaccessible educational programmes led to a significant sector of Omani population remaining illiterate or undereducated. The 1970s and 1980s were marked by the...
