Muscat: Today, the Ministry of Information introduced “Ayn for Children,” a specialized media platform targeted at a younger audience.
The unveiling occurred at the 29th Muscat International Book Fair and was presided over by HH Sayyid Dr. Fahd Al Julanda Al Said, who is the Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University. Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al Harrasi, the Minister of Information, was also present at the event.
The initiative is designed to enhance media content aimed at children by offering young people resources that help shape their awareness, enhance personal development, and fortify their sense of national identity. It presents content that embodies Omani culture and principles, while also cultivating a generation that is prepared to engage with contemporary technological advances.
Ayn for Children encompasses a wide array of educational, entertaining, and culturally relevant materials such as cartoons, various programs, audio content, audiobooks, and other resources suitable for children between the ages of 4 and 18.
According to Dr. Amal Mohammed Al Nawfali, the Director General of Digital Media at the Ministry of Information, the platform provides a thoughtfully crafted digital edutainment experience. It features a user-friendly interface aimed at children, adorned with bright colors inspired by the Ayn platform. Accessibility is prioritized for all children, including those with visual or auditory disabilities, and the platform includes unique content that promotes national identity and moral values.
Dr. Al Nawfali highlighted several important technical features, such as customizable child accounts that allow for personalized cartoon avatars, options to download content for offline access, an advanced search capability for audio-visual materials, and a feature that enables users to resume playback if their viewing is interrupted. Additionally, there is a special area for young content creators to display their projects, which encourages the development of future talent in media.
She also mentioned that the platform has an extensive library containing over 65,000 audio-visual items, with more than 8,000 specifically for children. This includes radio and TV programs, original productions, animations, and audiobooks. The platform is globally accessible, catering to audiences in more than 170 countries, and is compatible with smart televisions, mobile devices, tablets, and web browsers.
Importantly, the Ministry of Information’s Ayn platform stands as Oman’s most extensive audio-visual content repository, having accumulated over 16 million views since its preliminary launch.
