Education sector in Oman records growth in student numbers

Muscat: The total population aged 10 years and above holding a bachelor’s degree or higher in the Sultanate of Oman increased by 6 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, while the illiteracy rate among the same age group declined from 2.29% in 2024 to 2.25% in 2025, according to the latest data published in the Education Statistics Bulletin 2026, issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).The statistics showed that expatriates accounted for 89.3% of the total population aged 10 years and above classified under the “able to read and write” educational level in 2025. The total number of students enrolled in school education stood at approximately 980,000, an increase of 3.4%, compared with the previous academic year, while the total number of teachers reached approximately 88,000, an increase of 5.5 percent compared with the previous year.In terms of expenditure, government expenditure on the education sector accounted for 16.3% of total government expenditure in 2025, while the contribution of the education sector to GDP at current prices stood at 4.8% during the same year.In the area of early childhood development, the number of nurseries declined by 1.5% in 2025 compared with the previous year, reaching 329 nurseries, while the total number of children enrolled stood at 9,548, including 8,044 Omani children and 1,504 expatriate children.The average number of children per nursery stood at 29, compared with 30 children per nursery in the previous year.The Omanisation rate among nursery staff also increased to 77.5% in 2025, compared with 75.2% in the previous year. The number of Omani female employees reached 1,632, compared with 475 expatriate employees.In the early education sector during the 2025/2026 academic year, the total number of schools providing early education services increased by 7% compared with the previous academic year, reaching 2,252 schools. Some 53 percent of these schools were concentrated in the Governorates of Muscat, North Al Batinah and Al Dakhiliyah. The gross enrolment rate in kindergartens stood at 75% during the 2024/2025 academic year.The classroom density in pre-primary education schools stood at 16 students per class during the 2025/2026 academic year, while 58.3% of the total number of kindergarten students was concentrated in the Governorates of Muscat, North Al Batinah and Al Dakhiliyah. Students enrolled in private kindergartens accounted for 85.5 percent, while Omani children represented 88% of total kindergarten enrolment during the same academic year.In the school education sector, the total number of schools providing school education services during the 2025/2026 academic year reached 1,816, with government schools accounting for 72%.The average number of students per teacher stood at 12, while classroom density reached 27 students per class, compared with 28 students in the previous year.In the field of literacy and adult education, the total number of learners enrolled in literacy programs reached 2,032 during the 2025/2026 academic year, a decline of 13.2%, compared with the previous academic year, with females accounting for 99.5% of the total.Meanwhile, the number of learners enrolled in adult education programmes reached 4,718 of whom males accounted for 58.4 percent. In the non-tertiary vocational education sector, classified as post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 4), the total number of students admitted to training courses at vocational colleges reached 386 during the 2025/2026 academic year, a decline of 67.1%, compared with the previous year. The total number of students enrolled in vocational college training courses stood at 1,148, with males accounting for 94 percent.The specialisation in refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment maintenance and repair accounted for the largest share of students enrolled in vocational colleges, at 22.1% of the total during the same academic year.In the higher education sector, the total number of students admitted to higher education during the 2024/2025 academic year reached 39,194, a decline of 11.4%, compared with the previous academic year, with females accounting for 54.7 percent of total admissions.The total number of students enrolled in higher education stood at 145,885, of whom 78 percent were enrolled in bachelor’s degree programmes or equivalent programmes, comprising 81,131 female students and 64,754 male students. The gross enrolment rate in higher education among the 18–22 age groups stood at 47.4% during the same academic year.Regarding students studying abroad, the total number of students enrolled in higher education institutions outside the Sultanate of Oman reached 9,697 during the 2024/2025 academic year. Of these, 6% were studying in the GCC countries, 37% in Arab countries and 57% in other countries.The total number of graduates from higher education institutions reached 32,499 during the 2024/2025 academic year. The share of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields increased to 33.7%, compared with 30.8 percent in the previous academic year.At the level of higher education institutions and their academic staff, private institutions accounted for 68 percent of the total higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman during the 2024/2025 academic year.The Omanisation rate among academic staff also increased to 40%, compared with 37% in the previous year, while the number of Omani academics increased by 12 percent between the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 academic years.These indicators reflect developments across the various stages of the education sector and provide a statistical foundation for policymaking, decision-making and performance evaluation. They also support the effective use of data in developing the education system, keeping pace with national priorities and advancing the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.