UNICEF and CFA visit schools implementing child friendly education model in Musandam

At UNICEF our motto is: we work for every child, everywhere. And we take this responsibility very seriously.

Even in Oman where most children live in cities or urban areas there are some who live in  remote and hard-to-reach places. Our goal is to ensure their voices are heard and included.

That’s why, on a recent trip to Musandam to see how the Child Friendly Education (CFE) model is being implemented, UNICEF and partner organization Children First Association made sure to include Kumzar on the itinerary. Kumzar is an isolated village accessibly only by boat.  

CFE is a model for quality education that is based on the principles in the child rights’ convention. It seeks to achieve great educational outcomes in the general interest of learners, stakeholders and society in general. As well as respecting the rights and duties of learners, the CFE model also seeks to provide a safe and learning-friendly environment, promoting the values of citizenship and contributing to meeting the requirements of the labor market.

The Sultanate of Oman aims to introduce the CFE model nationwide and as a first step piloted the model in number of schools in the governorates of Muscat, Musandam and Dhofar.

In Kumzar, UNICEF Representative Lana Al Wreikat and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist Franziska Salem along with CFA Chair HH Sayyida Dr Mona bin Fahd Al Said met school children to gain an understanding of their lives and what they need to fulfil their potential.

During their trip the team also visited schools in Khasab, Lima and Bukha.

At Hamza bin Abdulmutallab Primary School in Lima,  students explained about the new Life Skills curriculum that they are following which includes modules on modern technologies such as hydroponic farming. Teachers told the team that adopting CFE practices has helped improve learning outcomes for children by increasing their awareness about the knowledge, skills and  attitudes required by the labour market.

At  Amna bint Wahab School in Bukha, which borders the United Arab Emirates, UNICEF and CFA learned about the students efforts to promote  gender equality and to  empower girls and women in Musandam.

“It has been very encouraging to see the extent to which CFE principles have been embraced by schools in Musandam,” said Ms Al Wreikat. “We have seen evidence that schools are promoting an environment that is inclusive, participatory, protective,  child-centric and equitable.  Every child deserves a safe place to learn, play, grown and thrive and  schools in Musandam are achieving this.”