مجلس التعليم

An extract from a speech by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, may his soul rest in peace, on the occasion of the Graduation of the 1st group of students from the Sultan Qaboos University, 30 October 1990

" When we first set the education process in motion, we appealed for education to take place «even in the shade of the trees». We appealed for the whole population - male and female, young and old - to be given the opportunity to join the march of knowledge without discrimination, because the clear river of knowledge is one from which all should drink, and the channels flowing from it should carry richness, fecundity and growth to every part of Oman's pure and noble land.

The acquisition of knowledge is not a luxury, but «a commitment and a contribution». It is a commitment to all the decent, enlightened values. At the same time, it constitutes a serious, untiring contribution to the building of this country, and enables us to reinforce its achievements and realise short-term and long-term ambitions. Can you then make the coming days provide the answer to this question? We ourselves have no doubt that the answer will be «Yes. God willing.»".