It’s now five days since I returned from Oman, inspired by the warmth and hospitality of the people and determined to develop a more internationally focussed flavour within our work. It has been hard readjusting, not just to the cold, but to several days of catching up with e-mails and administration, so I’ve had little time to digest my experiences.
It would be far to simple to make direct comparisons between the UK and Oman and the ways in which we approach the challenges that are common to us all – our contexts are so different. Forty years ago, under the inspirational leadership of its leader Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, Oman started to emerge from a terrible period of isolation and stagnation. At the time there were only three schools in the entire country – now there are over one thousand. So there has been much catching up to do, and the Omani people continue to demonstrate an admirable level of commitment and hard work to further developing educational provision. Their philosophy is straightforward – to look around and take the best from wherever they spot excellence and innovation, while maintaining their commitment to Islamic and National values. I was fortunate to meet with senior Government representatives who were very interested in developing more creative approaches to teaching and learning, having concluded that there are many lessons to be learned from our experience of the Creative Partnerships programme as well as the other areas of work in which we are engaged. So let’s hope for the best with regard to a long term partnership with this wonderful country. Do get in touch if you have experience of working in the Gulf region or have ideas for collaborative activity – we’re hoping to set up exchange programmes for artists and young people sometime in the near future.