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Government vs Private School in Oman
Post On. As a Ziyyara founder I get asked this question a lot, what is better: a government school or a private school for my children in Oman.
It is a difficult and economic question. It depends case per case, family by family and especially if they can afford it or not. To be honest it also depends on the child's capability, some children are smart and will excel whether they are in government school in Oman or in a private institution.
Let's do some math and take one private school as an example, government school in Oman are free from grade 1 to 12:
The Sultan’s School (one of the leading and most known private schools in Oman for dual language, Arabic & English): This is one of the oldest privately managed by pension funds owned schools in Oman which was founded in 1977. It is also one of the largest either private or government schools in Oman, it follows the IB system where the school year is subdivided into 13 years. The fee for the 2019 / 2020 calendar year is as follow:
Year | Annual Fee OMR
KG | 2690
Year 1 | 3610
Year 2 | 3610
Year 3 | 3750
Year 4 | 3750
Year 5 | 3959
Year 6 | 3959
Year 7 | 4028
Year 8 | 4444
Year 9 | 4444
IGCSE 1 | 4860
IGCSE 2 | 4860
IB 1 | 5416
IB 2 | 5416
TOTAL | 58,796
Usually the fee goes up every year by 3 - 5 % in private schools in Oman. Therefore, for one child the parent is expected to spend around 70,000 Oman Rials assuming the child will spend his school year at the private school from KG to IB-2. That is equivalent to 5000 Oman Rial per year or 410 per month including fees increase and inflation in private school in Oman.
Average Omani family has around four children, therefore the cost of the Sultan’s Private School is 1650 per month per family. The price is between 20% to 30% more or less if you compare it to other private schools in Oman such as Azan Bin Qais, The International School of Choueifat or other single language school such as the British school.
The question the family should ask themselves is if they have enough savings to send their children to university either locally or abroad or save the money in order to send their child to a renowned university abroad. The knowledge and the experience gained studying in a university abroad cannot match the one locally. Apart from Sultan Qaboos University which is owned by the government and it is free for the locals, seats at The Sultan Qaboos University are very limited. Abroad the child learns to be independent, mature plus the experience of living alone is unquestionable. The child will learn about different cultures, exposed to a different atmosphere than he used to and living on a limited budget with limited support from the parent. At home, the child will always be spoon fed, especially if they attend some of the private schools in Oman, which is not the way to raise an independent responsible human being.
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If the family has a choice for private school vs government school or save the money in order to send the child for university, they should opt for money saving. When you apply for a job it doesn't matter which school you graduated from, whether it is private or public, it is the University certificate that matters. Personally, I know plenty of adults who went to government school and graduated from various schools around the world and are doing very well in their career. In addition, they are also students who went to private school and are also performing well.
Government schools in Oman are currently following the Cambridge system so are most of the private schools in Oman. If the curriculum is the same in private schools and government schools, I don't see the point of sending your child to a private school. If it comes to the comparison between Government vs Private School in Oman, the main advantage of the private school is the extra curriculum such as sport, music and around 20 children per class compared to 40. We believe if your child is smart enough and can cope with the high number of students in the class then Ziyyara recommends government school. Government schools also teach the child to be independent given the number of students per class, the child will have to fetch for himself, fight for his right and especially when it comes to bullying. In private schools in Oman usually the children are well protected, they have to follow strict rules and regulation and usually they come for a well-educated f amily with higher income. In government school the child will be exposed to all kinds of income levels, from poor, to middle class and even some of the high-class family who opt for government school.
I attended government school in Oman, and I have minister son’s, high influential merchant sons and people from all aspects of society including the sons of Egyptian and Jordanian experts. The mix and the experience gain was unquestionable.
Ziyyara’s one-on-one tuition will help whether your child is in government school or private school in Oman. The child can go to government or private school and be supplemented with classes at Ziyyara. This is a much better solution if your child is finding difficulty in coping at government school. The amount saved and the experience gain can be saved to educate your child at a proper university compared to the local university in Oman where the gain and life experience is at minimum.
At Ziyyara the child can enhance their English grammar, English speaking, and especially English writing at the comfort of his home at a minimum cost compared to sending your child to a private school in Oman. Our qualified one-on-one teachers have experience not only to prepare the Omani student in their university ambition but also in their career path.
At Ziyyara we also help the student in choosing the career path in Oman based on our local knowledge, what is the market need given the jobs of today will not be the same in 10 years’ time in Oman or anywhere else in the world. Our subject expert will help your child whether in private or government school to know what he/she is good at, sharpen their skill and focus on what matters. Whether your child in Oman is interested in business, science, or mathematics, Ziyyara’s subject experts will always be there for you.
Try us for free, we will guide you throughout, we will always be there for you throughout your school calendar year, whether if need of enforcement and build confidence before an exam, or a quick check before an assignment. If you struggle in writing or problem solving Ziyyara will always be there for you whether you attend government or a private school in Oman.
Give us a call, WhatsApp us on 71912179 and our qualified counselor or subject expert will always be there to guide you. Let's work together to make our beloved country Oman a better place by focusing on building the foundation of the future with Ziyyara online learning .
