DUBAI: Oman has banned the employment of non-Omanis to certain professions in the private higher education sector, local daily Times of Oman reported.
According to a decree released by the Ministry of Manpower, the job positions include director of admissions and registration department, director of student affairs, director of quality assurance and director of the career guidance department.
“The Omanization rate in technical colleges at the dean’s position is 100 per cent, administrative staff is at 98 per cent, technicians are at 57 per cent and academic cadres stand at 20 per cent, which the ministry seeks to increase by hiring more lecturers,” according to the ministry.
The ban comes after the labor ministry’s implementation of the “preparation program,” which assists Omani lecturers in improving their credentials for employment.
These efforts were in line with Oman’s greater push to integrate more Omanis into the private sector, which has achieved significant strides in the past months.
The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) recorded a 13.6 percent drop in the unemployment rate of Omanis over the last month, and noted that more than 40,000 Omanis have already benefited from the Omanization policies enforced by companies.
Expats however still make up 87 percent of Omani’s private sector workforce.