Higher education student dropout rate in Oman is a cause for concern

Thousands of students are dropping out from higher education every year in Oman and the trend would have a negative impact on the government’s efforts to empower the private sector with an educated workforce.
An average of 7,000 students drop out from the degree courses a year. The high dropout number is putting a considerable financial pressure on the government’s scholarship system and takes away a potential knowledge pool from the private sector. There are also concerns about students who take longer to complete their courses or those who change institutions after going through academic difficulties. But whose fault is it?
Flaw in education system
This is one flaw in Oman’s educational system that leads to be rectified urgently. On top of the list is the preparedness that would make students ready for specialised subjects. When they enrol in the foundation year, students have no idea which degree to pursue. Very few schools have a career guidance system to advise them on the future. And the ones that have, are obviously ineffective. In colleges and universities, students are often left to their own devices to fend for themselves. Again, they reach the dead end of the career guidance there. Universities do not link statistics of job availabilities with either the private or public sector.
When they are required to choose a speciality, they often have to do it ‘blindfolded’ and ‘walk the plank’ hoping there will be a soft landing at the end of it four years later.
Once they get in the first year of specialisation, they face another formidable challenge — some of them get in the turmoil of dealing with the stress of coping with their studies. Colleges and universities do have counselling but either the ‘service’ is superficial or exists only in name. And again this is a ‘customer service’ based on commercial aspect, which may not connect deep enough with students.
Emotional turmoil
Young adults go through a series of emotional waves and they need someone who can sit on the passenger’s seat and watch how they drive through the highway of uncertainties. Sometimes they chose to drop out not because they are ‘stupid’ or don’t ‘work hard enough’ but someone is letting them down within the establishment of higher education. Some institutions, whether in basic or advanced education, keep their students ill-informed about the offered courses. Another factor is that our intuitions do not clearly communicate with students the pathways and progression routes. They ‘bump’ their way in and out in the maze of syllabuses and some get seriously tangled up in the academic wilderness.
Breaking point
They only realise that they chose the wrong course when they are halfway to graduation because all the time they were under pressure or simply could not find the right guidance or advice, either at school or when they are in the higher education level. When the stress level reaches a breaking point, they simply give up and drop out. This is the point where they realise that they enrolled in courses with misplaced conceptions or had very little interest in their content. The frightening thing is that the education system will deem them as failures. You don’t need statistics or an expert to tell you that these are students who will be more likely to develop serious mental health conditions. Because the society sees them as outcasts, they are also prime candidates to experiment with drugs or engage in criminal activities.
Huge cost
So the cost to the government will not only be to lose a vital part of human resources had they graduated or loss of money that educated them without success, but also to find them a solution to get them out of their problems. The costs of rehabilitation can be profound and the one that the government will be reluctant to spend in the current economic situation. In conclusion, the blame must be shared both by the government and educational institutions. The academics must take responsibility for taking their jobs lightly in nurturing troubled students while the government for not effectively monitoring the system.