Parents, know the rank of your private school

The classification of private schools and their rankings is an important step to improve private education system in the Sultanate. This will help in the educational advancement according to the criteria which takes scientific and governmental development into account and provides suitable value-based educational environment in the country. This will also provide vast options for guardians and parents to choose schools which have top rankings and are financially feasible for their children. This will put things in the right place. It will reduce cases of exploitation and its implications on the education system made available for students. This is expected to increase the level of satisfaction gained from the private education system, as it would help in improving their quality at various stages and bring a sigh of relief for parents and guardians. There is no doubt that private education has now become a substitute for government education system. It is contributing effectively to the educational system of the country. It is highly valuable considering the number of students who opt for private education and the average cost of studying under it. This helps in reducing the financial burden of the state. If there are 100,000 students in the government education system, then the average cost of education in this system is RO 2,000. There is also a study which shows that the private education system’s contribution to the sector is worth around RO 200 million. There are also plans for private education expansion in the country. Under these plans, management of government schools will also be assigned to the private sector. One of the important achievements expected from this project is the increase in confidence levels of parents in the education system. This will help them continue their children’s education under the private system even at the advanced stages of education. If there would be factors of confidence, people will more than willingly opt for private education. Efforts made for the promotion of private education are visible everywhere as it has become a reality that requires extra attention and care. This is because of the significant contribution made in the area of educational development in the Sultanate and its elevation to the higher levels. It is expected that the classification of private schools or their rankings would be based on national and international standards. It will take care of the quality standards and all other details. It would help in creating a positive competition between the owners of these schools. This will certainly be followed by convergence of experiences and growth with time. The ball is now in the court of the owners of private schools to develop the factors of educational advancement and positive engagement with these classifications. It will be a giant stride towards the improvement of private education. Under this classification process, there would be self-assessment, first by the owners themselves followed by the monitoring and follow-up committees. This is the first stage of announcement of the lists before the final classification and rankings. Real competition between the schools would be at this stage. These classifications will create rankings of schools according to national and international standards. Therefore, their cost will also be according to their real rankings. This will be a move away from what is today, in which rankings are based primarily on emotions, personal experiences and self-assessment done by guardians or parents, as well as the impact of advertisement campaigns of these schools on their minds. Today, hotels and other facilities are classified based on rankings for their services and other possibilities. These services are non-educational. But it is more important for schools to have such systems of ranking and classification. This is because schools are the light towards the path of education for development and growth towards the better future of the country and its people. We hope this strategic and vital plan will be implemented, and the dream becomes reality very soon. ali.matani2@gmail.com