Challenges in Education System Affecting Teacher Professional Development in Oman

The Role of the Specialised Centre for Professional Training of Teachers
The World Bank Report (2012) indicated that in a survey conducted in 2009 
on 150 teachers in five regions, teachers’ major criticisms of in-service training 
were as follows: 1. the training is over-theoretical with an absence of practical 
applications, 2. the training does not address issues which the participants’ 
regarded as important, 3. the trainers are not sufficiently knowledgeable of the 
content they deliver, 4. the courses are too short to have a lasting impact on 
their teaching. The need for reorganising the concept of teacher professional 
development is evident and recognised by actors in the field. 
There is also some concern that teachers do not always take professional 
development courses seriously as they have no implications for salaries or 
promotion. Furthermore, teachers are normally selected for training by supervisors, 
resulting in some teachers complaining that they are sent on irrelevant courses 
or courses on repeated topics (World Bank, 2012). 
The Specialised Centre for the Professional Training of Teachers, 
which 
began operating in 2014, is playing a leading role in the Ministry of Education’s 
reform programme. The main purpose of the Centre is to improve the quality of 
student learning and it aims to raise the level of learning outcomes through the 

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Athens Journal of Education 
August 2018 
275 
professional development of the education workforce. At full capacity, up to 
2,000 new teachers, 6,000 experienced teachers and 1,000 educational leaders 
will be following the Specialised Centre’s strategic programmes of two years 
duration. 
Training at the Specialised Centre
 
started with five strategic programmes 
selected to address the most critical needs of Oman’s education system, amongst 
which are the need to raise students' attainment in science, maths and language 
literacy, as identified by the TIMSS and PIRLS results. The five programmes 
were:

Senior Teachers: 520 teachers – one from every school 

Arabic language: 200 teachers – one from every grade 1-4 school 

Mathematics: 374 teachers – one from every grade 5-10 school 

Science: 423 teachers – one from every grade 5-10 school 

Subject supervisors: 411 out of 1,500 subject supervisors
In 2015, the following two additional programmes were launched: 

New Teachers: 786 of the 860 teachers employed in 2014/2015 

900 of the 960 teachers employed in 2015/2016 

School Leaders: 200 principals and vice principals – targeting 20% of 
schools 
Two new programmes are to be started for the 2016/2017 academic year: 

English language: 800 teachers – targeting 80% of schools 

Field 2: 400 Mathematics and Science teachers – targeting 80% of grade 
1-4 schools 
Due to the "reality shock" faced by new teachers, the Specialised Centre has 
developed a comprehensive induction programme for all of its new teachers. 
The induction programme focuses on teaching and learning classroom practices, 
making the new teachers aware of what is expected from them in terms of 
professional standards, and raising awareness of the demands of the curriculum 
and assessment. Although professional standards can be used for appraisal 
purposes, their principal purpose is to support improvement. At the Specialised 
Centre, teachers are trained on how to use the standards as a self-assessment 
tool that will help to inform them on whether or not their work conforms to 
best practice, and to engage in planning and seek professional support to enable 
them to acquire new knowledge and skills (see Ministry of Education, 2016). 
All teachers need to be provided with opportunities to break down the 
isolation of teaching and to collaborate with each other in order to drive their 
own improvement. Teachers need to be encouraged to engage in collaborative 
practice and to observe each other’s teaching. The Specialised Centre has 
promoted the use of online platforms for teachers to talk to other teachers, beyond 
their own schools, and share ideas about their classroom practices. 

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The Centre’s programmes are designed to achieve sustainable change in 
the daily work of the participants. They are focused on the implementation, 
application and practice of the most up-to-date and effective methods of improving 
student outcomes. To secure direct impact on student standards, the following 
principles have informed the Centre’s strategic programme design: 

Sustained one or two year programmes to embed knowledge, skills, 
qualities and values. 

Integrated face-to-face, online and workplace training. 

Inclusion of international best practice and research 

Inclusion of all Ministry of Education priorities and initiatives 

Quality assurance and endorsement by an outside organization for 
validation and accreditation (the Institute of Education in London). 
The Centre aims at developing highly skilled, confident and motivated 
educators by providing sustained, intensive, accredited professional development. 
To maximise the impact, all schools in the country will be covered and a high 
proportion of teachers and regional officials will be reached. The centre aims to 
send a clear message to the profession and the wider public that improvements 
are a priority.