Oman - Learning the online way

MUSCAT — KnowledgeOman.com, Oman’s leading knowledge sharing community portal, has received great response since the launch of the KO Online School programme, it being the first e-learning community platform in the Sultanate and a major leap towards free online education in Oman. Over 280 students have registered in the KO School programme offered in both English and Arabic for its users. The initial programmes were in the field of ICT in the areas of Adobe Photoshop, C++, Web Designing, VB.Net, Networking, Java, IC3 and SQL, and the KO team is currently working on introducing new programme to cater to the various needs of the community. Students positively shared their experiences in the KO School, as one of the students Bushra Aleem said, “I joined the KO School because I was eager to learn online and I could join a school and learn ‘freely’ without any formalities like giving an entry test or buying new books. The level of teaching is just as good as attending a school but with added benefits such as learning from the comfort of your own home. A forum has been set up as well so that students can ask questions and exchange ideas easily with the teachers and other students.” “My advice to those who have joined the KO School would be to take advantage of the great opportunity that has been given by KnowledgeOman.com and learn with full interest through the lessons that are being provided,” added a spokesperson. Great experience Another KO School student, Hassan Al Muqbali, added “Knowledge means power. It’s the most powerful weapon on earth since the beginning of humanity. “I learnt a lot from the KO forums, and when the KO School was launched I knew that I could learn even more. I like the way we are taught. The KO team knew whom to choose to be our teachers and it’s one of the reasons why I enjoy it a lot.” Tariq Hilal Al Barwani, founder and president of KnowledgeOman.com, said, “We launched KO School as part of promoting knowledge and reaching the community via utilising what technology offers, with education being the nation’s wealth and the cornerstone of our community. “We are pleased to learn about the fruitful response the programme has generated for the community.” KnowledgeOman.com has two user interfaces, English and Arabic, and has so far attracted more than 3,000 registered members since the launch last year. The portal is managed by a team of dedicated local and expatriate professionals and enthusiasts who share the passion for sharing knowledge and making a difference. Achievements The various achievements of KnowledgeOman.com include winning the International Standard Web Technology Award from Oman Web Awards 2009, linking with the global software giant Microsoft, collaborating with the governmental Information Technology Authority (ITA), launching KO Mobile product and other initiatives, along with a quality online portal that has become a leading knowledge hub attracting a diverse group of visitors and members.