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The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman: between conservatism
and modernism
Article in International Journal of Knowledge and Learning · October 2020
DOI: 10.1504/IJKL.2020.109901
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Int. J. Knowledge and Learning, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2020
233
The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of
Oman: between conservatism and modernism
Chokri Kooli
Telfer School of Management,
University of Ottawa in Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada
Email: ibm4chk@yahoo.fr
Abstract: This essay aims to present and analyse the main attributes of the
philosophy of education in Oman. Using a descriptive analytical method,
researchers will make a critical examination of Oman philosophy of education.
In fact, the presentation and analysis of the main attributes of Oman philosophy
of education was experimented and justified. An investigation of the
government’s educational orientations, linking the different attributes observed
in its philosophy of education to the main educative approaches showed that
this philosophy stands between conservatism and modernism. By combining
openness to the universal values and preserving the Arabian-Islamic national
culture and values, the Sultanate of Oman implemented a unique model of
educative philosophy showing a certain openness to the contemporary world
and an attachment to the traditional values of the Omani Arabian-Islamic
society. The study showed also that the Oman philosophy of education is
conservative in its form and in majority modernist in its content.
Keywords: philosophy of education; Sultanate of Oman; philosophical
dispositions; conservatism in education; modernism in education.
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Kooli, C. (2020)
‘The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman: between conservatism
and modernism’, Int. J. Knowledge and Learning, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp.233–245.
Biographical notes: Chokri Kooli earned his Doctorate (PhD) in Economics
from EHESS, Paris. He also earned two Master’s in Organisations Management
and Social Sciences from the University of Paris. He actually works as a
Visiting Assistant Professor at the Telfer school of Management at the
University of Ottawa, Canada. He performs research in public policy,
economics of development, economics of education and health economics.
1
Introduction
As one of the Middle East richest countries, the economy of the Sultanate of Oman is
literally based on revenues generated from selling natural resources like petrol, gas and
derives. In order to diversify its economy, Oman Government policy makers discovered
the importance of the development of the human capital of the country. Since the last
quarter of the 20th century, the sultanate of Oman started a big social and economic
reform and became more aware about the importance of making a revolution in the
educational system. Since 1970, the country has registered a fast growth and an important
Copyright © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
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C. Kooli
reform in its educational system by implementing strategies and policies for short, mid
and long-terms. Nevertheless, the first philosophy of education was only launched at the
beginning of 2017. For Sadker and Zittleman (2018), schools and teachers are influenced
and guided by a set of related beliefs that are derivative from the philosophy of education.
The purpose of schooling, the teacher’s role, and what should be taught and by which
method are generally highlighted by the country’s philosophy of education. Usually,
governments wish to influence the behaviour of their citizens through their educational
system and indirectly through what they are taught at school (Haydon, 2005).
Jarrah et al. (2019) conducted a research in the Emirati Elementary schools regarding
John Dewey’s philosophical pragmatic. They recommended to governments to adopt a
clear philosophy of education. They also highlighted the importance of conducting
workshops about educational philosophy to ensure that school teachers believe that the
teaching profession must stem from an educational belief, which would help in an
improved job performance. In a similar context, using a descriptive analytical method,
this essay will try to provide a critical examination of Oman’s philosophy of education.
In this study, the presentation and analysis of the main attributes of Oman philosophy of
education will be experimented and justified. Researchers will also try to further
understand the government orientations by linking the different attributes observed to the
main educational approaches. Thus, this study supposes that Oman’s philosophy of
education followed the evolution of research in term of philosophies of thinking and
education.
2
The definition of the philosophy of education
What a philosophy of education means? What is the nature of a philosophy of education?
A long research among articles and publications showed the absence of consensus
regarding this notion. In the 19th century, the English speaking countries and especially
the USA considered for the first time the philosophy of education as a distinct discipline
(Chambliss, 1996). At that time, the discipline of the philosophy of education served as a
conception of personal betterment and social perfectibility that would serve both to
initiate, guide, and inspire practitioners (Burbules, 1991). The philosophy of education
served also to justify a set of aims to a broader public that was being asked to support and
fund educational programs on an unprecedented scale. Dearden (1982) admitted that
philosophy of education cannot stand in need of a single paradigm. He argued that
philosophy of education must be concerned with ‘general concepts, principles, positions
and practices’; that it should make ‘necessary distinctions to clarify meaning’, should
‘explore conceptual possibilities’, ‘identify what is necessary and what is contingent’,
‘expose question-begging...and inconsistency’, ‘draw implications’, ‘reveal absurd
consequences’, ‘test assumptions’, ‘probe the validity of justifications’, and so forth – all
activities which, whatever their merit, clearly express the orientations of a particular
conception of philosophical method (Dearden, 1982). From their side, Burns and Brauner
(1962), considered the Educational philosophy, as a thinking method that provides a point
of view for educationalists. Such philosophy constitutes a source of inspiration for the
educator’s perceptions, beliefs, understanding and values (Uzunöz, 2016). Other
researchers like Fidan and Erden (1998) described the educational philosophy as a total
of systematic ideas and conceptions that orients education, shapes goals, and leads
education applications. From his side, Frankena (1965) viewed that the philosophy of
The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman
235
education may be either the philosophy of the process of education or the philosophy of
the discipline of education. The most important revolution in the study of the philosophy
of education came in 1966. In fact, and for the first time, the UK created the Philosophy
of Education Society of Great Britain (P.E.S.G.B). The P.E.S.G.B. considered the
philosophy of education as an academic discipline that aims to raise a “greater
consciousness of and involvement with the methods and results of philosophy of
education” (Burbules, 2000). Following that date, the interest regarding the concept
continued to emerge and researcher’s positions diverged also. Doing so, Cevizci (2005)
considered educational philosophy as a philosophy branch that dwells on the problems of
education’s possibilities, nature, objectives, and methods. As an academic field,
Noddings (1995) found that philosophy of education could not be other than “the
philosophical study of education and its problems...its central subject matter is education,
and its methods are those of philosophy”. From another side, Phillips et al. (2013)
qualified the research subject as part of discipline in the sense of being concerned with
the aims, forms, methods, or results of the process of educating or being educated.
Whether it is a thinking method, a philosophy of a process, a philosophy branch, a
part of a discipline or an academic discipline, the contribution of the research and
implementation of a philosophy of education is great at the micro and macro levels. For
nations, a Philosophy of education can easily direct education, interrogate the system
again at every turn and repairs failing sides of education like a living organism. Human
intellection takes part in the fundamentals of education systems. Besides evaluating these
intellections, philosophy of education examines a lot of assumptions that deal with
education politics and their implementations (Zirhlioglu and Yayla 2016). Also, for
schools and teachers, a philosophy of education constitutes a set of related beliefs that
influences what and how students are taught. A philosophy of education represents
answers to questions about the purpose of schooling, a teacher’s role, and what should be
taught and by which methods (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018). For the purpose of this
essay, the philosophy of education is considered as an academic discipline used by public
authorities for designing and conceiving theories, policies, politics and strategies
containing a set of beliefs and values that guide the educational systems, through
practitioners, to the best practices in term of teaching methods. It also seeks to build and
maintain a set of attitudes and behaviours that ensure personal betterment and social
perfectibility.
3
The education approach from conservatism to modernism
3.1 The modernist approach of education
The opposite of conservatism is modernism. It inculcates values of liberalism such as the
protection of individual freedom and the education for general citizenship. It also
believes in progress and oppose restrictions on individual liberties. The modernist
ideology believes that the government should not interfere with education politics and
policies. It gives autonomy to teachers in order to use teaching methods that build and
support the ability to rationalise and use students’ intelligence (Lynch, 2016b). The
modernist approach is also based on secularism and calls for a strict separation between
the government institutions and the religious institutions and representatives. It adheres
with the principle of personal religion and highlight the necessity of separation between
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C. Kooli
public education system and religious matters. Later, this approach was developed and
researchers encouraged scholars and educational leaders to adopt and practice liberation
and emancipatory pedagogy taking forms of critical and feminist theory, as well as, new
conceptual advances including pluralism, multiculturalism and social justice ideas
(Brooks et al., 2008). Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault are considered as the most
known modernist philosophers of education. The poststructuralist critique focused on the
deconstruction (Derrida, 1978) of cultural symbols and hierarchies (Belsey, 2002; Sarup,
1993) in order to understand all its mechanisms, to exhibit all its foundations (Higgs,
2003), dislodge their dominance, create a social space that demonstrates its tolerance of
difference, ambiguity, and playful innovations (Seidman, 1994). The deconstruction of
cultural symbols and hierarchies generally serves to uncover their historically contingent
origin and politically charged roles (Stinson, 2016). The first most known modernist
philosopher of education is Jacques Derrida. He is considered as a post-structuralist and
postmodernist philosopher. Derrida was engaged in the process that intended to neutralise
and defeat the dominant metaphysical thoughts which regard education void of
established global foundations (Farahani, 2014). Derrida (1995) rejected the theoretical
approach to responsibility (Derrida, 1992) that offers moral direction and which is
inculcated in the traditions of Western ethical thought through the Christian appropriation
of the Ten Commandments through Kant to the present day, offers moral direction
(Higgs, 2003). Briefly, Derrida approach tends to deconstruct the political and ethical
bases in relation to education. The second most known modernist philosopher of
education is Michel Foucault. He analysed the modern regime of institutional power and
criticised the social and political ideologies prevalent in education (Woermann, 2012).
Foucault made an intensive analysis of the contemporary educational practices and
highlighted three main areas of thinking. The first is related to the nature and effects of
power and domination in education (power relation). The second idea focused on the
necessity of taking care about ourselves. The third advice concerns the lifelong teaching
through a process of self-transformation where stakeholders could potentially generate
wider social transformation (Foucault, 1997). In his theoretical overview, Deacon (2006)
explained how Michel Foucault considers universities as “artificial enclaves where
students are expected to absorb socially desirable modes of behaviour and forms of
knowledge before being recuperated into society”. So, for Foucault, a relation of power
and influence is exerted over learners at school and university levels in order to express
economic, political, judicial and epistemological amalgamations. In order to reduce the
effects of domination, Foucault (1987) suggested the counteracting of practices of power
by practices of liberty and relations of power. Foucauldian terminology is directly applied
to modern day educational practices (Gore, 1998) as it treated the previously neglected
issues of knowledge, power, and contestation, and thereby in problematising intellectual
traditions (Woermann, 2012). Foucault uncovered knowledge as a discursive formation
through the means of performing an archaeological analysis (Stinson, 2016). By doing so,
he rejected the ‘natural’ concepts of knowledge found in humanism, like Descartes’
dualism of mind-body, and Comte’s positivism, which rejects knowledge produced
within the realms of theology and metaphysics in favour of a scientific knowledge gained
from methodologically observing the sensible universe (St. Pierre, 2000). Researchers
criticised Foucault thoughts, as he ignored the teleological and ideological dimensions. In
his later works, Foucault (1985) used the concepts of freedom and self-formation as
agents helping to interfere the normalising power. A recent study was conducted by
Machumu et al. (2018) and tried to explore the link between university teacher’s beliefs
The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman
237
and constructivist teaching practices through Tanzanian universities. The research
concluded that explicit engagement, supportive teaching and interactions were important
aspects in blended learning environment. The research indicated also that that teachers’
beliefs predict their explicit engagement and supportive teaching are predictors of the
beliefs of teachers who teach blended learning environment courses.
3.2 The conservative approach of education
The opposite of liberalism is conservatism. According to the encyclopaedia Britannica
(Viereck et al., 2018), Conservatism constitutes a political doctrine that emphasises the
values of traditional institutions and practices. It promotes cultural and social values of
traditional societies. Principally, the conservative approach believes in the importance of
history as founding source of the human relationships and social sensitivities. Also, this
approach, considers that traditions play an important social regulative role as they
provide cohesion and stability for the society and culture. In such regard, inside this
approach, the education system tends essentially to protect the traditional curriculum that
eliminates individualism and change and foster assimilation and acceptance into society.
Doing so, conservationists believe that “the primary role of education is academics and
that schools should not assume non-academic, custodial, therapeutic, and social
functions” (Lynch, 2016a). In fact, governments need to emphasise teaching on worthy
subjects and fundamental moral values (Gordon, 2018). With regard to the education
policy, the conservative approach demise the responsibility of its conception to the
government who becomes also in charge of asserting academic standards and
assessments. Inside this conservative system, the target is to form civically minded
students that are ready to learn and assimilate certain social, ethical, cultural and
historical ideas, notions, events and concepts. Among the well-known conservationists’
philosophers of education, it becomes important to highlight the recent Richard Pring’s
‘moral seriousness’ approach of education. Richard Pring’s researches tends essentially
to answer the important question: ‘what, given the particular economic context in which
we live, are the aims of education?’ (Pring, 1995). He rejected the idea about ‘false
dualism’ between the liberal and the vocational (Pring, 1993). For him, the liberal idea of
education is based on the possession of universal understandings, knowledge, skills and
dispositions (Pring, 1997). So, he considers that the traditional liberal education system
isolate learners from the ‘the world of work’, dehumanise them and potentially reduce
their chance to get a job because the knowledge they acquired stands too far from the true
realities of the world (Hand, 2016). As alternative to the liberal model of education, he
proposed a model based on the ‘moral seriousness’ and founded essentially on acquiring
the capacity for being serious about life (Pring, 1997). The model proposed urges learners
to think about what kind of life is worth living and should command our allegiance
(Pring, 1999), what is worth pursuing in leisure or career and what obligations are to be
considered sacred (Pring et al., 2012). The model of education based on the ‘moral
seriousness’ shall also teach learners how to care about values (Pring, 2012). So, as
admitted by Hand (2016), the model of education introduced by Richard Pring considers
the learner as whole person, as a doer, as well as a thinker, a social person as well as an
individual, responsible to others as well as to oneself, exploring what is a worthwhile
form of life as well as being introduced to the best examples of it (Pring, 1995).
After exposing the main principles of the two major approaches of the education
philosophies, it becomes important to situate the position of Oman’s philosophy of
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education towards modernism and constructivism. To do so, a brief presentation of
Oman’s philosophy of education becomes compulsory.
4
Presentation of Oman’s philosophy of education
Government policy makers in the Sultanate of Oman have felt the need to develop an
education philosophy for three main reasons. First, to take into account the economic,
social, cultural and political changes that the world and the nation are experiencing.
Second, to better align with the country’s strategic directions. Third, to adapt to scientific
and intellectual development. Thus, Omani Education Council has developed a charter
called ‘the philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman’ which was purely
developed by government policy makers and not academicians. It is an important national
framework that guides the development process in Oman and enables the development of
the education sector. This charter illustrates the implementation of Oman’s national
strategic plans for education. The philosophy of education of Oman (Al Harthi, 2014) has
been developed from ten sources. It is also based on 16 fundamental principles, which in
turn are divided into 98 objectives. According to the government policy makers, the
philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman was inspired from ten fundamental
sources. Their main traits are Islamic religion, Arabian identity, national and universal
values. Thus, we note that this philosophy was conceived while keeping in mind the
Muslim religion of the country as well as the divine thought. It also refers to the status of
the Omani State, its policies and strategic plans. Again this philosophy has taken into
consideration the civic role of the Sultanate of Oman as well as the background, needs,
contemporary challenges and aspirations of the Omani society. On the international and
universal level, it seems that the policy makers have made sure that this philosophy takes
into consideration contemporary educational thoughts, international covenants and
conventions as well as the various contemporary world issues that were generally adopted
and recommended by the UNESCO.
5
Principles and objectives of the philosophy of education in the Sultanate
of Oman
At the Sultanate of Oman, the pre-renaissance period was marked by the existence of a
single model of traditional and unorganised education. Young children were learning
inside Koranic schools. Education was offered inside the mosques, under the trees or
inside the houses of the teachers. Before 1970, the absence of a political will coupled
with an almost total lack of interest in education led to a near-abundance of schools.
Thus, at that time there were only 3 public schools, two in Muscat and one in Salaalah.
These schools provided basic education for just over 900 students who were supervised
by about 30 teachers. Once in power, his majesty Sultan Qaboos Ben Said showed a
valuable interest in the concept of human development and thus sought to set up an
effective educational system. Doing so, since 1970, the new political will for the
generalisation of education has been accompanied by the dedication of the necessary
resources to achieve this goal. The first reel and formal philosophy of education was
launched in 2017. The aim of education is not knowledge of facts but of values (Inge,
1917). The Omani Government attaches great importance to the educational system. This
The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman
239
is why he has sought to develop a philosophy of teaching through which he explains the
various ways of thinking about teaching, while emphasising the ideas and values that
should be transferred to learners. The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman
(Al Harthi, 2014) is based on 16 fundamental principles that are:
•
The integrated growth of learners: It creates an educational environment that is
accessible to all learners and without any representation of their personal, economic,
social, cultural, geographic or ethnic background.
•
Identity and citizenship: Tends to strength and consolidate Omani identity and citizen
behaviour. Also, promoting pride in the Arabic language, Omani identity and
national history. Consolidate in the Omani learners the beliefs and principles of the
Islamic religion. Finally confirming the pride of belonging to the Arab and Islamic
nation.
•
National prestige and respect (national identity): It consists of preserving the
national identity through the teaching of nationalism. It also consists of promising
the belonging to the nation and fidelity to His Majesty the Sultan.
•
Good values and behaviours (universal values): The Omani Government aims,
above all, at consolidating the learning of Islamic values as well as the human values
that are consistent with them. The Omani educational system, also present itself as a
great opportunity through which students are taught the importance of respect for
public morality, good morals, customs and traditions of the Omani society (OEC,
2017).
•
Education for sustainable development: The Omani Government’s general objective
is to realise an overall development of the Omani society by Strengthening and
developing national capacities and encouraging the different components of the
society to participate in sustainable development.
•
Responsibility and accountability: The Omani Government is seeking to develop
learner’s awareness of the importance of respecting social norms and maintaining
public order.
•
Education is a national responsibility and partnership: It helps to instil a new culture
among learners, their families and society in general. Education will be perceived as
national rather than personal responsibility.
•
Education of human rights and duties: This principle reflects the Omani Government
great desire to set up an education system that encourages and ensures respect for
human rights. The government is also widely promoting the human rights culture and
seeking to build learner awareness of the importance of humanitarian issues.
•
Education for peace and mutual understanding: Recognising the need for a civil
society based on peace and tolerance, the Omani Government has incorporated both
principles into its philosophy of education.
•
Education of ‘Al Shura’ (consultation): The principle of collective deliberation
constituted the strength, vitality and cohesion of the first Islamic community.
Students in Oman must learn to express their opinions and develop a spirit of
constructive criticism. The principle of shûrâ, also encourages the diversification of
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C. Kooli
forms of expression and the development of awareness of participation in the
electoral process.
•
High quality of education for all: The government policy makers tend to make
learners aware of the importance of respect of different sciences as well as
educational institutions. Learners must also have some level of motivation within a
high quality education system that can provide the basic knowledge and skills
needed.
•
Life-long learning: This principle helps to spread a new culture that encourages
citizens to learn throughout their life. It also seeks to promote skills that focus on
self-learning (Turi et al., 2019), development planning and looking to the future.
Also, citizens must learn to develop positive life skills (Alshamsi et al., 2017). So
that, they need to acquire the knowledge and skills required to maintain a sustainable
and peaceful Omani society.
•
Education and work: The educational system is expected to take care about the
notion of work and to make learners be aware of its importance and values (moral,
physical, social, economic, etc.). The system is also expected to develop the
professional skills of learners in order to enhance their local and global
competitiveness.
•
Research and innovation: It emphasises on the application of rational thinking and
scientific research in its educational programs. Education institutions are called upon
to create a stimulating environment that encourages rational, critical and creative
thinking as well as on scientific research.
•
Entrepreneurship and initiatives: This principle encourages the creation of a spirit of
entrepreneurship among learners. It also, encourages and supports the generation of
new ideas and allows the learner to turn ideas into actions.
•
The society of knowledge and technology: The Omani Government policy makers
based the educational strategies on the establishment of the knowledge and
technology society. It relays on the complementary approach of the knowledge
triangle by establishing a direct link between companies, the education system and
research institutions.
6
Findings and critics regarding the fundamental principles of Oman
philosophy of education
The main objective of this essay consists of attempting to situate the Oman’s philosophy
of education among the major educational approaches. The presentation of Oman’s
principles and objectives of its philosophy of education reveal interesting findings.
Researchers already explained that the modernist ideology believes that the government
should not interfere with education politics and policies. In this study, the education
policies and philosophy were developed by the Omani Government policy makers. It
appears that education is promoted not by teachers, learners, and researchers but by the
state and is considered a top-down education system. In Oman, government policy
makers tried to rely on modern education guidelines that take into account contemporary
and international education principles. Such approach is modernist in regard to its
The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman
241
content. But at the same time, the followed public policy is conservative as the
contemporary education in today’s global context does not follow guidelines from the
government which are purely top-down, which fails to represent the voice of education
professionals, and which are not drawn from research achievements. Also, this education
approach is conservative in its form as it limits teachers’ autonomy in term of the use
teaching methods. So, with regard to the education policy, the conservative approach
demise the responsibility of its conception to the government who becomes also in charge
of asserting academic standards and assessments. In such regard, Oman followed the
dispositions of the conservative approach. Also, the Oman’s philosophy of education as
conceived and presented appears to reflect what Foucault (1987) considered as relation of
power and influence that is exerted over learners at school and university levels in order
to express economic, political, judicial and epistemological amalgamations. That’s why
Foucault (1987) called to reduce the effects of domination and suggested the
counteracting of practices of power by practices of liberty and relations of power. In
general, the conservative approach of education believes in the importance of history as
founding source of the human relationships and social sensitivities. The content of the
Oman’s Philosophy of education is focused on certain conservatives dimensions based on
history, culture, traditions, worthy subjects and fundamental moral values (Gordon,
2018). These conservative dimensions always play an important social regulative role as
they provide cohesion and stability for the society and culture. Michel Foucault analysed
the modern regime of institutional power and criticised the social and political ideologies
prevalent in education (Woermann, 2012). Contrarily, the model of education introduced
by Pring (1995) considers the learner as whole person, as a doer, as well as a thinker, a
social person as well as an individual, responsible to others as well as to oneself,
exploring what is a worthwhile form of life as well as being introduced to the best
examples of it’ (Pring, 1995). Another conservative dimension of the Oman philosophy
of education is conjugated by the focus on the religious aspect of teaching. As explained,
the modernist approach is based on secularism as it promotes the necessity of separation
between public education system and religious matters and calls for a strict separation
between the government institutions and the religious institutions and representatives.
Contrarily, certain principles of Oman’s Philosophy of education are inspired from the
Islamic religion and the learning curriculum consolidates in the Omani learners the
beliefs and principles of the Islamic religion. Like other modernist philosophers, Derrida
(1978) deconstructed the cultural symbols, hierarchies, political and ethical bases in
relation to education. Derrida (1992, 1995) also rejected the theoretical approach to
responsibility that offers moral direction and which is inculcated in the traditions of
Western ethical thought through the Christian appropriation of the Ten Commandments
through Kant to the present day, offers moral direction (Higgs, 2003). Also, in regard
with the content of the Omani Philosophy of education, we notify that it contains certain
modern and liberal concepts that tend to build and support the ability to rationalise and
use students’ intelligence (Lynch, 2016b). Omani Government policy makers encouraged
the adoption of contemporary and international education principles conjugated by
pluralism, multiculturalism and social justice ideas (Brooks et al., 2008). Contrarily, we
did not notify any reference to gender issues and feminist theories. The modernist
approach of education is also reflected by the emergence of principles of lifelong
learning, freedom and self-formation. Foucault (1997) highlighted the principle of
lifelong teaching through a process of self-transformation where stakeholders could
potentially generate wider social transformation. Foucault (1985) also reminded the
242
C. Kooli
importance of the use of the concepts of freedom and self-formation as agents helping to
interfere the normalising power. All the points highlighted, make it possible to conclude
that the Oman philosophy of education is in general conservative in its form and more
liberal in its content.
The other findings show that the Omani Government was inspired by the UNESCO
guidelines. At least ten principles figuring in the Oman philosophy of education were
recommended by the UNESCO. Such ascertainment is positive because it shows an
openness and an internationalisation of the standards of education. This means that the
Omani Government followed and implemented the best practices in term of education
strategies and policies. But it is undeniable that the Oman philosophy of education has its
local lineaments. In fact, it tends to reflect its unique mode of governance, its history,
culture and society habits and beliefs. The Oman philosophy of education reflects the
lineaments of the Oman society; Tolerance, acceptance of others and multiculturalism are
deeply reflected. The country is between conservatism and liberalism. It is so attached to
its religion, culture and society fundamentals. At the same time, it shows a certain
flexibility and openness to the development and universal principles. To answer the
question if the Oman philosophy of education is instructor or student centred? Data
collected gives the impression that the Oman philosophy of education contains the main
guidelines that educative institutions and instructors must follow. It also, just shows the
fundamentals and general spirit on which it was written.
7
Conclusions and critics
The analysis showed that the Oman philosophy of education follows the fundamentals of
the model presented by Ardashkin (2015). In fact, this model bases education philosophy
on values like freedom, creativity, partnership, and trust. This model believes that ‘the
quality of education defines the quality of life’. It also assumes that social development is
more clearly shaped when the process of education is given an appropriate philosophy.
That is to say, in the model proposed, the researchers observed the presence of a
sense-making and goal-setting strategy (paradigm, ‘religion’) of the evolution of the
society. By combining openness to the world and preserving the Arabian-Islamic national
culture and values, the Sultanate of Oman has put in place a unique model of teaching
philosophy. This model shows a certain openness to the contemporary world and an
attachment to the traditional values. This philosophy of education tends to prepare the
Omani citizens to face national and international challenges and better engage in the new
turmoil of the globalisation. The government seeks, through its philosophy of education,
to form believing citizens, attached to their country and faithful to their Sultan. Citizens
able to contribute in the process of continuous development and adapt to the demands of
the human evolution. At a certain point, this Philosophy of education appears to be far
away from certain principles observed in the modernist approach of education. In fact,
the modernist approach recommends that the educative system takes a certain distance
from politics, politicians and epistemological amalgamation.
From another side, Oman’s philosophy of education could be assimilated as a
response to the main critics and limitations of the modernist approach of education. In
fact, it integrated the principles of the ‘moral seriousness’ approach of education that are
closer to the practical reality of the population and society in term of education and work.
The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman
243
Comparing to other countries, the educative experience of Oman is considered as
very young. The first formal philosophy of education was released in 2017. Before this
date, the philosophy of education was informal and guided by government plans and
inspirations. The actual philosophy of education constitutes a real shift of values from the
stability and statics to a progressive Statute adapted to the universal and societal
challenges. A better narrow of this shift of values could be achieved in the presence of
formal support of previews philosophies of education.
The youthfulness of the Omani educative experience and the lack of sufficient
research in the studied field complicated the researchers’ mission. In fact, it was difficult
to establish the ways on whom the philosophy of education was developed. Also, it was
difficult to determine whether the Omani education system was developed based on
empirical research from scholars or on top-down direction from the state. This essay may
constitute a portal for researchers in order to perform deep empirical studies and collation
of teacher and learner voices that will help the scientific community to better understand
the pertinence of the theoretical fundamentals of the Omani Philosophy of education and
the degree of their application.
The Sultanate of Oman attempted to develop a powerful educational philosophy that
draws its background from national and universal values and that stands between
conservatism and modernism. This essay was limited to the qualitative presentation of the
fundamentals of the philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman. The main
educational approaches identified by the research were limited to Modernism and
conservatism. It can be examined deeply and supported by quantitative studies aiming at
determining educators’ philosophical dispositions on education and which of them are
most internalised. Such dispositions certainly need the realisation of a survey with faculty
members.
To conclude, we can say that the Sultanate of Oman adopted a philosophy of
education balancing between the modernist approach (Foucault and Derrida) and the
conservatism (Ping). Being based on principles like lifelong learning, knowledge and
technology, research and innovation, responsibility, human rights, peace and freedom; the
Oman philosophy of education comply with the modernist approach of education. By
being strictly developed by government policy makers and introducing principles
containing cultural, ethical and religious aspects, which are part of the society, the Oman
philosophy of education comply with Richard Pring’s conservative approach of
education.
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