Oman’s visionary, committed, dedicated and sincere leadership had given top priority to advancement in education, science and technology. It is well aware that without having access to quality education for all without discrimination as education is not a privilege , it is basic right for all citizen, prioritizing science and technology advancement, no country can survive, develop and prosper without it. Oman has initial initiatives on technologies and investments approved by various entities to support innovation and keep leaping with the developments of the fourth industrial revolution. These initiatives are executed by providing effective applications that contribute to the finding of innovative solutions to enhance performance and increase efficiency in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, Virtual Reality Applications, and other procedures that are considered a paradigm shift in supporting the advancement of entities performance. Oman now is ready to move into its next stage of smarter development that thriving culture of innovation that support rapid advances across society, the economy, and the environment. Oman laws and legislations have given significant importance to managing innovation and technological approaches. By the way of this, the National Center for Statistics and Information has recently issued the National Data Strategy, aiming at enhancing the economic, social, cultural, and developmental benefits of data.
Oman's National Innovation strategy aims to transform the national economy to be led by innovation rather than highly dependent on oil and gas by sponsoring an effective national innovation eco-system that meets the aspired socio-economic sustainable development that is aligned with global standards. And by enabling the environment via establishing readiness of digital services, facilitating research and development expenditure, ensuring government effectiveness and innovation leadership, and having coherent policies, enabling pillars through the need for an effective intellectual property system, putting in place adequate infrastructure and logistics. As such, encouraging innovation linkages and collaboration, innovation drivers which consist of entrepreneurial education, R&D and innovation capacity building, qualified workforce, knowledge transfer, leading private sector, and direct foreign investment, strategic pillars that contain human capital and economic diversification, while human capital is the key to economic diversification. Taking the Sultan Qaboos University as an example for the Oman entities outlining cleaner, more productive, and competitive products on technology and innovation, the Internet of Things Laboratory at the university performs as a platform for developing different IoT applications in smart cities and finding smart solutions based on ICT and latest digital technologies. As such, the lab is aiming to transform the campus into a smart one and enhance the application of IoT technology in Oman. The University has adopted artificial intelligence technologies in a number of medical projects, such as the use of artificial neural networks to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, congestive heart failure, and Muhanna Al Zuheimi views and inputs to the Commission on Science and Technology for Development Intersessional panel meeting, Geneva, 25–26 October 2022. Moreover, a laser lab of high-efficiency solar cells was installed at the university to enable studying high speed chemical and physical reactions occurring in one billionth of a second to help study the chemical and physical properties of new materials used in constructing modified semiconductors in solar cells. Similarly, the Communication & Information Research Centre at the university has implemented many projects related to the fourth industrial revolution, such as a remote healthcare system for monitoring and diagnosis, smart urban water management, smart street, a vision-based navigation system using the robot application of deep learning techniques in the National Museum of Oman, neural networks for medical diagnosis depending on artificial intelligence technology, and Internet of Things in security and privacy aspects related to architecture and communication.
On the other hand, the million-date palm plantation project is one of the important applications of the development and use of smart irrigation systems to achieve nutritional, economic, social, and environmental benefits. The farms of the project depend on the use of new technology to manage water resources, mitigate depletion and increase the date production process. They also depend on drones for pollination and early detection of diseases that may affect palm trees. The use of drones has been one of the very effective leaps in utilizing technology to facilitate better performance. In agriculture, and steered by engineers and farmers, drones are used to farm high-quality crops in a shorter period with high rates of success. A group of Omani researchers came up with a new method to pollinate palm trees by mixing pollen with water and then spraying it on palm pollen using drones. In comparison with the traditional methods of sprouting, a single worker can only sprout six palm trees per hour; instead, drones can pollinate about a thousand palm trees per hour with higher quality. Drones are also used in monitoring agricultural operations, growing the best and most productive crops, and collecting data to monitor the vegetation index of crops and protect the crops from any potential hazard that might affect their growth. From the banking and retail perspective, the national e Payment Gateway is an operational component of the e Government infrastructure as it ensures a secure online payment process. It allows online payment for shopping and services for the public as it accepts all types of debit and credit cards. Currently, blockchain technology has been used in the fields of diagnosing finance, banking, e-commerce, and import and export. As a result, Blockchain Solutions & Services and Oman Blockchain Club were established, following in the footsteps of some countries in creating special centers to manage the trade processes based on blockchain technology and seeking a rapid adoption of this technology for its great economic returns. Furthermore, Oman Oil Company has launched the first service station energized by solar power. The Institute of Advanced Technology Integration (IATI), under the Ministry of Higher Education, Research & Innovation establishes a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the fields of research and science and functions as an intermediary between the industry and business sector and the academic sector in Oman to develop scientific researches into innovative technologies and marketable products as well as to create a stimulating environment to conduct researches that will help the Sultanate meet market demands and tackle current challenges in water, renewable energy and oil and gas sectors. Likewise, Innovation Park Muscat is another initiative under the Ministry that aims at encouraging scientific research, innovation, and collaboration between various sectors. It provides an access to various facilities and services to create an environment that motivates innovators and entrepreneurs and companies to develop amazing ideas in the sectors of energy, food and biotechnology, health, water, and environment sectors.
The Islamic Religion Omani society is based on the principles of Islam; the ideology, beliefs and behaviour of its citizens are derived from Islam. This belief includes faith and worship, people’s behaviour in organizing their relationship with Allah the Almighty and with themselves, their family, society, the world and life. Islam calls for people to obtain knowledge and scientific thinking, and work for the building of civilization on Earth. The principles and values of Islam are, therefore, considered as a main source for the Philosophy of Education in the Sultanate of Oman. The Thoughts of His Majesty the Sultan Qaboos bin Said, which include his directives on improving the quality of education and development of human resources, is another source for the Philosophy of Education. The Sultanate of Oman has a rich record of political, cultural, social and economic achievements. The geographical location of the Sultanate of Oman, along with its long coastline and extended fertile plains, made it one of the oldest populated lands, with human groups living in Oman at the very beginning of civilization. It was an important economic centre throughout different ages of history, and was a starting point for the spread of Islam around the world. Its unique location encouraged its people to communicate with different civilizations and to develop a balanced and open-minded perspective. The modern Omani Renaissance is based on building a prosperous and flourishing present that links a glorious history to a brighter future. We need to raise a welleducated generation that is aware of the country’s achievements and future aspirations in order to contribute to the construction and development process. Omani Society (Characteristics, Needs and Aspirations) Omani society derives its identity from Islam and, since it belongs to the Arab nation, from Arabic culture. Justice, equity, equality of opportunities, fraternity, cooperation, altruism, peace and social security characterize Omani society. Strong ties that connect Oman to other societies, along with a feeling of mutual respect and friendship with other nations, are enduring characteristics of Omani society. Maintaining and reinforcing these characteristics are among the objectives of the Omani Philosophy of Education. It also endeavors to consolidate values of belongingness and national unity in the quest to achieve continuous progress and comprehensive development to meet the needs and aspirations of the Omani people. Omani society, like other modern societies, faces many different economic, social, cultural, political and educational challenges due to the emergence of changing values and relationships resulting from technological development and globalization. Therefore, the objectives of the Philosophy of Education include the implementation of approaches to provide learners with appropriate values, knowledge and skills to help them to face these challenges. These policies and plans aim to upgrade the capacities and skills of Omanis’ to enable them to participate in the technological and knowledge development of the country and to manage change effectively. Human beings are both the maker and the developer of development, and so educational institutions play a central role in producing learners who can effectively participate in, and make a positive contribution to the development of their societies. 7. Modern Educational Thought the Philosophy of Education in the Sultanate of Oman is based on the fundamental principles which govern the modern educational process. These principles include the concepts of nurturing, educating, training, cultivating and awareness-raising in the light of quality standards and through linking these principles to life-long learning, human development and the labour market. The Omani Philosophy of Education is based on current educational research and studies on modern educational thought, and in identifying the values, attitudes and knowledge that are consistent with those practiced in Omani society.