Announcement of Oman to Launch Education Project on May 21, 1984

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. WORLD BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 84/75 Contact: Fawzi Rihane May 21, 1984 (202) 477-5325 OMAN TO LAUNCH EDUCATION PROJECT Oman will use a World Bank loan of $15 million for a project designed to improve the quality of its primary education and increase access to secondary education. In 1970, Oman's education system was among the least developed in the world. Only three schools existed, with less than 1,000 students. And facilities for vocational and teacher training or adult education were virtually non-existent. Revenues from oil production, which started in 1967, have fueled a remarkable transformation in the economy. They have also made possible impressive gains in social development, notably in education, health, and housing. By 1982, school enrollments had reached 142,300 students, of which about 36 percent were female. The project will help the country meet its need for skilled manpower. Some 80 percent of Oman's labor force is unskilled and largely illiterate. And, although their numbers are increasing, Omani nationals now account for less than 40 percent of the workforce. The project will help finance construction of a boys' teacher training institute which will have an enrollment of 240. The institute will train teachers for the primary and preparatory levels - grades one to nine. The loan will also support the building of two secondary schools - one for boys at Ikra, about 100 kilometers (km) south of Muscat, the capital, and one for girls at Saham, about 160 km northwest of Muscat. Both schools will enroll 576 students by 1990, and will have about 150 graduates a year. The first girls' commercial secondary school in the country will be built. It will enroll 270 students, of whom 80 will graduate annually. Technical assistance will be provided to develop specialized curricula and teachers' guides for the secondary schools. The World Bank loan will also help finance technical assistance for the Ministry of Education and Youth Affairs to help improve its planning, management, and financial procedures. The government is providing $8.9 million towards the total cost of $23.9 million. The World Bank loan is for 15 years, including three years of grace, with a variable interest rate--currently 10.08 percent--linked to the cost of the Bank's borrowings. It also carries an annual commitment charge of 0.75 percent on undisbursed balances and a front-end fee of 0.25 percent on the amount of the loan. Note: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents.