Oman summer school

Thursday 21 August, 2008
Omani students celebrate at Aberystwyth

An innovative English Language and Literature Summer School developed by Aberystwyth University and the University of Nizwa in Oman will celebrate its first ‘graduates' on Friday 22 August.

Fifty female Omani students in their third year of a four year English and Education degree at the University of Nizwa, have spent the last eight weeks at Aberystwyth developing their language skills and studying works by Blake, Coleridge, Keats, Yeats, Wordsworth and TS Elliot.

A varied social programme has also given the students the opportunity to visit places of cultural and historical interest in Wales, absorb the rich local culture and develop their language skills through interaction with the people they have met.

Such has been its success that senior representatives from Aberystwyth University will visit Oman in September to finalise arrangements that could see up to 250 Omani students travel to study at Aberystwyth during the summer of 2009.

Professor Aled Jones, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Aberystwyth University said:
“The Summer School marks an important new relationship between Aberystwyth and the Sultanate of Oman, and with the Middle-East as a whole. 

“Nizwa University's decision to send 50 of its best female undergraduates to study with us further confirms the strength of Aber's global reputation for teaching excellence and the care we take of our students. It has been an important experience for both Universities.

“I would like to thank all those who have made this Summer School such a resounding success. We can now look forward with confidence to the development of other innovative forms of collaboration with Nizwa University,” he added.

Saoud Muthkhour Al-Jufaili, Vice-Chancellor for Admin & Finance at The University of Nizwa said:
“The Summer School is a very important initiative for the University of Nizwa, as it seeks to enhance the cultural and academic education of the students in ways which will have an impact upon the nation's professions and increase a sense of national self-awareness with regard to Oman’s position within the international community,” he said.

“It is anticipated the Summer School will be a programme of cultural exchange which, over time, will lay down firm foundations for social and cultural relationships which will be far reaching and mutually rewarding to both participating institutions. 

“Certainly the students of Nizwa have much to gain from an engagement with the academic and cultural environment at Aberystwyth University.  Oman is poised for a significant expansion of its infrastructure and requires an increase in its professional workforce, but also seeks a mature and comprehensive cultural engagement with the wider international community.

“The United Kingdom is a natural choice to facilitate this for various reasons, both modern and historical. A summer school for students of English is an apt starting point to initiate a long term relationship, as studies in English will enhance language skills essential for many professions, but also, the study of literature alongside effective language skills will promote more in-depth cultural connections and understandings,” he added.  

Saoud Muthkhour Al-Jufaili has also thanked the British Ambassador to Oman, Dr. Noel Guckian, who is an Aberystwyth graduate, and Mr John Goddard, Head of Press and Public Affairs at the British Embassy in Oman for their support to the Summer School.

When asked about how they coped with the somewhat less than inspiring weather Aberystwyth has experienced during June, July and August, the response was remarkably up-beat. As the group’s Professor and Summer School co-ordinator and former Aberystwyth student, Dr. Nath Aldalala’a, explained; “It’s a relief to be able to escape Oman in high summer where the temperature regularly reaches 50 degrees Celsius!”

The Omani students will be presented with a ‘Certificate of Attendance’ at a ceremony on Friday 22 August. The presentations will take place at 2.00 p.m. in C4 in the Hugh Owen building on the Penglais campus. Each student will also receive credits for the work they have done at Aberystwyth which are transferable to their degree in Oman. 

The University of Nizwa
The University of Nizwa is based in the city of Nizwa in the Ad Dakhiliyah region of Oman, about 140 km (1.5 hours) from the capital Muscat. The University is a private not for profit University with 5,500 students, 92% of which are female. It was established in 2004 following a directive by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said which called for the private sector to play a more active role in contributing to higher education in Oman. Work is currently under way on the construction of a new state of the art campus in Nizwa which represents an investment of £80m. The city of Nizwa has a population of around 70,000.

Oman
The Sultanate of Oman has a population of just over 3.2m and borders the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.  Comprising of 9 provinces, the country is made up of a central region covered by a vast gravel desert plain, flanked by mountain ranges along the north (al Jebel al Akhdar) and southeast coast, where the country's main cities are also located. Oil makes up 95% of Oman’s exports. In recent years the country has focused on reducing its dependence on oil and sought to develop tourism and its natural gas reserves. The official language is Arabic but Swahili, Urdu and English are also spoken. The currency is the Rial.