Very recently I have come across a video on YouTube about a visit made by his Majesty Sultan Qaboos of Oman to the first university in the country, SQU (Sultan Qaboos University). The visit was made in 2000 but the video (in Arabic) was published on YouTube in 2013, that is, after 14 years from the actual visit! The video contains His Majesty’s talk to the University’s administration, teachers, students, and staff. It does not seem that this talk has been widely circulated to all those concerned with higher education in Oman or elsewhere though it contains very important and illuminating guidelines on higher education. The issues His Majesty talked about in 2000 are as valid now as they were valid then. I thought the video was a bit lengthy (about one hour and a half). But the moment I started watching it, I was fascinated by the high spirit, confidence and in-depth analysis with which His Majesty was talking about higher education in general and in Oman in particular.
