e-learning got a boost in Oman during COVID-19 pandemic

Muscat: Oman has witnessed a rapid transformation in activating e-learning during COVID-19, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Education.

Explaining its importance, Dr. Khadija Al Belushi, Assistant Director of Applied Science Supervision Department in the Directorate-General of Educational Supervision in the Ministry, said at a seminar: “We have witnessed a rapid transformation in activating e-learning in general during the period of coronavirus pandemic, and activating educational platforms and various technological applications in particular, in providing education to our students, which has become an integral part of their life and scientific interaction.

“From the interest of the Ministry of Education like other educational systems around the world – even if education is transformed into direct or integrated – to benefit from the experiences gained in the e-learning system in the process of employing educational platforms in direct learning and teaching, emerged the idea of holding this seminar. The Ministry is in the process of preparing a guide to activate educational platforms in public schools as a reference for educators and researchers interested in activating e-learning, as it remains an important part of the educational process.”

The Ministry of Education, represented by the Directorate-General of Educational Supervision, concluded on Tuesday the activities of the seminar on ‘Activating Educational Platforms in Direct Education’ held virtually via Microsoft Teams programme.

The 3-day seminar targeted more than 300 participants, including school principals, educational supervisors, first teachers and teachers from various educational directorates in the governorates of the Sultanate.

It may be noted that the seminar sought to achieve several goals, including introducing educational platforms and their importance in supporting the student learning process, improving the educational service and raising awareness of target groups of the importance of employing educational platforms in direct learning and teaching.

The seminar also sought to exchange opinions, ideas and suggestions in employing and following up with the activation of these educational platforms in direct learning and teaching in a manner that is commensurate with the nature of the educational system in the Sultanate of Oman, in addition to exchanging the experiences among participants in activating these educational platforms.

She also pointed out the topics of this seminar, in which the participants in their three categories will discuss how to benefit from their experiences and developmental visions.

She said: “The participants are divided into three categories (school principals, educational supervisors, first teachers and teachers) over the three days of this seminar, and each category will discuss the four topics, namely: the mechanism of employing educational platforms in direct education, experiences and expertise in employing educational platforms in direct education, following up on the activation of platforms in direct education, and developmental ideas in employing platforms in direct education.”

The seminar witnessed a great interaction by the participants, who enriched it with their various technical experiences, gains, educational experiences, and development ideas in employing educational platforms in direct education.