Muscat: The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation has announced that the academic year 2024/2025 will see the expansion of its scholarship programs and specializations, available to recipients of the General Education Diploma (GED) and its equivalent. These offerings will encompass a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, as stated by the Ministry.
Furthermore, the Ministry has emphasized that these programs are designed to align with the expectations of students and address the practical needs of various sectors for development.
Hamad Khalfan Al Harthy, the Assistant Director General for Scholarship Affairs at the Ministry, highlighted the Ministry's commitment to enhancing students' flexibility and choice in selecting their preferred areas of specialization, educational institutions, and countries of study.
Al Harthy further elaborated on the scholarship packages, which include both STEM and ESAM options. He explained that STEM scholarships are available to students pursuing science-related courses, covering scientific specializations such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, excluding medical, veterinary, or dental studies.
Conversely, ESAM scholarships are tailored for students in the arts stream, offering specializations in education, social sciences, arts, and management.
Al Harthy clarified that neither package includes programs leading to degrees beyond the Bachelor's level. He encouraged prospective applicants to refer to the Higher Education Admission Centre's HEAC Guide for additional details.
In collaboration with the "Medical City for Military and Security Services," the Ministry has introduced 14 employment-oriented training and employment-linked programs in the fields of human medicine, dentistry, specialized nursing, and related medical specialties. Al Harthy mentioned that upon successful completion of these programs, students will have the opportunity to pursue further studies in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
He further stated that this year, the Ministry has concentrated on providing specialized programs that align with the rapid advancement of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, particularly in the fields of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), data science, cyber forensics, computer science for smart devices, AI-based business analysis, and business analysis.
Al Harthy confirmed that numerous private higher education institutions are offering scholarships for Bachelor's degrees, with the number of such scholarships representing approximately 10 percent of the available seats at these institutions.
In this regard, Al Harthy mentioned that the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) company has extended BA scholarships to students from concession areas across various specializations. Additionally, OMIFCO has provided scholarships to children from the Social Security Scheme and those from families with limited financial resources from both the North and South A’Sharqiyah Governorates.
