Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Oman is a high-income country in Western Asia with a high immigrant population. In 2010, the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) named Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development. About half of the population is under the age of 25. Oman’s health system is ranked highly at the global level. Almost all births are attended by skilled personnel, leading to low maternal and infant mortality rates. HIV prevalence is also low. Though Oman has been providing free contraception for all married couples since 1994, the rate of contraceptive use is low. The rate is even lower for women with low levels of education and non-married women. Approximately one-quarter of all women use modern contraceptives. Homosexuality is criminalized. 

In 1990, the School Health Programme was initiated to coordinate health-related issues between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. Schools are segregated by gender. There are no school-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes or services. A 2015 school-based student health survey jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), found a lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues, such as HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and contraception. Only one-quarter of all students reported learning about STIs and/or how to avoid them. About half of the students reported being taught how to avoid contracting HIV . This was a marked decrease from the previous health survey conducted in 2010 when two-thirds of students reported having been taught the same educational content.

The 1996 Constitution and 2011 Amendments give the state the responsibility for public health and the means for the prevention and treatment of diseases and epidemics. The state is also responsible for guaranteeing gender equality, health care, and public education for all citizens. The 1996 Basic Statute of the State calls for education to be given priority as a vital sector. Education should build generations that are ‘physically and morally strong’. 

The objectives of the 2004 Health-Promoting Schools Initiative were to: link health and education systems; provide a safe, healthy and supportive environment; promote and empower the health and well-being of both students and staff; collaborate with the local community and engage parents and families in health promotion; and integrate health-promoting schools interventions into the school's ongoing activities. 

Health Vision 2050 emphasizes the importance of introducing health education materials into the curriculum to provide students with skills for developing healthy behaviours.  

The 2019 Annual Health Report covering women’s and children’s health calls for an improvement in attitudes towards reproductive health. The report also provides details about the country’s School Health Programme and its progress over the past several decades. Part of the School Health Programme is to change the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of school children by providing them with adequate knowledge of good health habits. The report also recognizes that there is a need to provide services specifically designed for addressing the SRH concerns of adolescents, who are at a crucial stage of development. Examples include updating the Health Education curriculum and providing SRH education.

The Ministry of Health distributed the ‘Facts of Life’ textbook through the School Health Programme. The book is distributed in two parts: the first is for students in Grade 9 and contains information about adolescence and public health; and the second part is for students in Grade 10 and covers reproductive health and lifestyle-related diseases.  

An educational kit on adolescent health was distributed and developed by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The kit targets school workers, parents and adolescents and covers topics on the physical and psychological changes that take place during adolescence.

Teacher preparedness and capacity building: Information was not found. 

Whether teachers are mandated to be trained on provision/delivery of sexuality education either as part of PRESET or INSET: For the 2004 Health-Promoting Schools Initiative, a training-of-trainers course was conducted to help schools develop the capacity to implement the plan and prioritize addressing health problems in schools. The report notes that school health nurses may be responsible for ensuring the development of students’ awareness on health-related matters. The nurses are also to provide health services, maintain students’ health records and ensure a healthy environment in collaboration with schools’ administration.