1. Oman’s System of Quality Management for Higher Education
S. Razvi, M. Carroll, T. Goodliffe, A. Al-Hasnawi & F. Al-Habsi
For the Roundtable Meeting
Malaysia 2009

2. Session Outline About the Sultanate of Oman Higher Education in Oman
Entities with Quality Assurance Responsibilities
Oman Accreditation Council
National Quality Management System
Conclusions

3. 1. About the Sultanate of Oman

4. Where in the world is Oman?

10. 2. Higher Education in Oman

11. Higher Ed History of Oman
1970s & 1980s Government colleges established, offering cert and diploma programs in the national priorities of health, teaching and technical skills.
1986: Sultan Qaboos University established, the first (and only) comprehensive university.
1990’s: Oman started importing higher education in earnest. 23 Private HEIs.
2006-9: Entering into a new phase: the establishment of a comprehensive system of quality assurance and quality enhancement.

12. Higher Ed Sector in Oman
SQU (established by Royal Directives)
Public HEIs (supervised by MoHE)
Public Colleges of Technology (supervised by MoMP)
Public Health Institutes (supervised by MoH)
Defence Institutes (supervised by MoD).
Private Universities and Colleges (supervised by MoHE)

13. 3. Entities with Quality Assurance Responsibilities
Higher Education Council
Oman Accreditation Council
Supervising Ministries
Directorate General of Private Universities & Colleges
Higher Education Institutes (HEIs)
Affiliate Institutes

14. 4. Oman Accreditation Council
A governmental independent entity established to provide confidence to the public that the quality of higher education in Oman meets international standards, and to encourage continuous improvement in the management of the
quality of higher education.

15. Oman Accreditation Council
Established by Royal Decree in 2001.
Responsible for:
developing academic standards
accrediting higher education institutions (HEIs) and programs
maintaining the national qualifications framework (OQF)
Led by a 10 member Board (all Omani), chaired by Dr Hamed Al-Dhahab.
Supported by a (growing) staff nested within the Ministry of Higher Education

17. 5. National Quality Management System
A comprehensive and integrated system of quality assurance and quality enhancement designed to bring Oman towards international practice.

18. Quality Plan
First iteration of standards and accreditation process was ROSQA, introduced 2004.
In 2006, Draft Quality Plan developed (available at
It proposes a significant overhaul of ROSQA, setting out a comprehensive system, OSQA, to align Oman’s HE sector with international best practice.
Places equal emphasis on quality assurance and quality enhancement.

19. Elements of the Quality System
Oman Qualifications Framework
Oman Standard Classification for Education Framework (OSCED)
Oman Institutional Classification Framework
HEI Standards
HEI Licensing
HEI Quality Audit (Accreditation Stage 1)
HEI Standards Assessment (Accreditation Stage 2)
Program Standards
Program Licensing
Program Accreditation and Recognition
Appeals

20. Provider QA Processes HEI Licensure HEI Accreditation Stage 1 :
Quality
Audit
First cycle
commencing
2008
4 years
≤4 years
HEI Accreditation
Certificate
HEI Accreditation
Stage 2 :
Standards
Assessment
Appeal
Met
Met
Not met
1-2 years on
Probation
Process
Document
Start/End
KEY
HEI Standards
Reassessment
HEI
Accreditation
Terminated
Not met

21. Provider QA Processes STAGE 1: QUALITY AUDIT HEI Accreditation Stage 1
4 years
≤4 years
HEI Accreditation
Certificate
HEI Accreditation
Stage 2 :
Standards
Assessment
Met
STAGE 1: QUALITY AUDIT
Self Study
Quality Audit
Portfolio
Activities
External Review
Quality Audit
Report
External
Review
Activities

22. STAGE 2: STANDARDS ASSESSMENT
Provider QA Processes
HEI Accreditation
Stage 1 :
Quality
Audit
4 years
≤4 years
HEI Accreditation
Certificate
HEI Accreditation
Stage 2 :
Standards
Assessment
Met
STAGE 2: STANDARDS ASSESSMENT
Self Assessment
Assessment
Application
Self
Activities
External Assessment
Standards
Assessment
Report
External
Activities

23. Quality Audit
Quality Audit is the first step in the Accreditation Process.
A method of public accountability.
A formative evaluation, which can be used to help set a Quality Improvement Plan for the HEI.
Two Pilot Quality Audits took place Ten Quality Audits are currently under way. Twelve will be every year.
The first cycle of HEI Quality Audits will be completed in 2013.

24. Program QA Processes

25. External Reviewers Register

26. Oman Quality Network & Training Program

27. Oman Quality Network
Launched under patronage of H.E. Dr Rawya Saud Al Busaidia, Minister of Higher Education, on 20 September 2006.
Controlled by an Executive Committee of Members which meets regularly.
Supported by OAC and MOHE staff.

28. Oman Quality Network Responsible for:
Organizing quality-related training for the sector based on the ‘train the trainer approach’
Training resources are available at
Providing networking opportunities
First National Quality Conference on “Quality Management and Enhancement in Higher Education” held in October 2008

29. Some Training Program Topics
ADRI: A QA model for self reviews and external reviews
A Conceptual Framework for Standards
KPI: Managing data for knowledge
Using Statistics in Reporting
Good Documentation: policies, procedures and guidelines
Preparing a Self Study Portfolio
Good Teaching
Process Mapping: a tool for quality improvement
Benchmarking
Strategic Planning
Consulting Stakeholders
Risk Management
Getting the Most from Student Evaluations
Maximising Student Learning Outcomes
Quality Audits
Curriculum Development
Moderation of Assessment

34. 6. Conclusions
A new national quality management system has been developed. It is comprehensive and aligns Oman’s higher education system with international best practice. The new system places equal emphasis on quality assurance and quality enhancement.