Developing the education system in the Sultanate of Oman through implementing total quality management- the Ministry of Education Central headquarters- a case study

Abstract This study seeks to identify the issues that need addressing in the Ministry of Education in Oman as it seeks to expand and improve its education system. The aims of this are (1) to highlight the issues that need addressing in the Ministry of Education, (2) to present a background survey on different approaches of managing change (3) to survey the literature about TQM in order to discover the underlying philosophy of TQM, its gurus, its development and its tools and techniques, (4) to review the experience of TQM in education, its success in this field and to also identify limitations of TQM, (5) to examine the feasibility of applying TQM in the MOE and (6) to design a model for implementing TQM in MOE . Firstly, an overview of the context of the study is presented. The major internal and external challenges that face the Ministry of Education and call for change are highlighted. This is followed by a description of the Sultanate of Oman, its location, climate, economy, employment, population and how all these affect education and calls for change. After that, education in Oman, its development and structures are examined. To ascertain an understanding of the key issues in relation to the working of the MOE a preliminary study was carried with four focus groups of MOE’s central headquarter directors, regional directors, head teachers and teachers. The sample consists of 40 persons, 10 from each group. From this study the following issues were identified; centralization, weak communication, insufficient management support, weak teamwork motivation and faulty planning. Secondly, seven different approaches for managing change are discussed; the problemsolving approach, the learning organization, the three-step model, the action research model, the reengineering, Fullan’s theories of managing change, and Total Quality Management. It is argued that six of these approaches were highlighted as effective approaches in dealing with change but do not fully match the development needs of the Ministry of Education in Oman. However, TQM seems to provide a possible approach for developing the Ministry of Education Central Headquarters in Oman to be able to deal with the internal and external challenges, to solve the existing issues highlighted by the pilot study and fulfil the aspiration of the country and its demands. Drawing on the data from both the pilot study and the literature on TQM, a draft of TQM Model for the MOE was generated. The proposed TQM Tree Model consists of seven TQM principles that suit the MOE; commitment toward TQM, focus on stakeholders, involvement and empowerment, Maryam ALNabhani, 2007 iii continuous improvement, training and education, tools and techniques, and rewards. The views of different groups -top management, internal stakeholders and external stakeholders- on the proposed model of TQM and views on issues related to implementation -were also- gathered. The third part of the thesis reports on the methodology; the data collection and analysis; and the conclusions and recommendations. This stage of the research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. It used a closed item questionnaire to gain a broad feel for the acceptability of the TQM ideas and to establish a broad baseline. In addition, open-ended questions in the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used for the same purpose and to provide additional information regarding the TQM implementation; the possible obstacles and facilitating factors. The analysis showed that TQM Tree Model was seen to be a possible approach by top management and stakeholders to develop the Ministry of Education in Oman. The final stage of the study was to gather the views of those in executive positions in the MOE regarding the proposed model of TQM and to identify issues to be considered in an implementation framework. Thus semi-structured interviews were conducted with six of the key personnel in the MOE. Some issues arising from the analysis of all the data collected including final set of the interviews with the executives led to the modification of the proposed TQM Tree Model. Three supportive factors were added as roots for the model; teamwork, budget and communication. In the light of the results from this study, the TQM principles and implementation in education, an implementation framework for the TQM Tree Model in the MOE in Oman is proposed. This implementation framework consists of five stages: the decision, the preparation, the implementation, the evaluation and rewards, and the continuous improvement. Finally the thesis concludes with some recommendations for education development in the light of TQM, some recommendations for the MOE regarding the TQM and some recommendations for further studies.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Developing the education system in the Sultanate of Oman through implementing total quality management: the Ministry of Education Central headquarters- a case study

Abstract This study seeks to identify the issues that need addressing in the Ministry of Education in Oman as it seeks to expand and improve its education system. The aims of this are (1) to highlight the issues that need addressing in the Ministry of Education, (2) to present a background survey on different approaches of managing change (3) to survey the literature about TQM in order to discover the underlying philosophy of TQM, its gurus, its development and its tools and techniques, (4) to review the experience of TQM in education, its success in this field and to also identify limitations of TQM, (5) to examine the feasibility of applying TQM in the MOE and (6) to design a model for implementing TQM in MOE . Firstly, an overview of the context of the study is presented. The major internal and external challenges that face the Ministry of Education and call for change are highlighted. This is followed by a description of the Sultanate of Oman, its location, climate, economy, employment, population and how all these affect education and calls for change. After that, education in Oman, its development and structures are examined. To ascertain an understanding of the key issues in relation to the working of the MOE a preliminary study was carried with four focus groups of MOE’s central headquarter directors, regional directors, head teachers and teachers. The sample consists of 40 persons, 10 from each group. From this study the following issues were identified; centralization, weak communication, insufficient management support, weak teamwork motivation and faulty planning. Secondly, seven different approaches for managing change are discussed; the problemsolving approach, the learning organization, the three-step model, the action research model, the reengineering, Fullan’s theories of managing change, and Total Quality Management. It is argued that six of these approaches were highlighted as effective approaches in dealing with change but do not fully match the development needs of the Ministry of Education in Oman. However, TQM seems to provide a possible approach for developing the Ministry of Education Central Headquarters in Oman to be able to deal with the internal and external challenges, to solve the existing issues highlighted by the pilot study and fulfil the aspiration of the country and its demands. Drawing on the data from both the pilot study and the literature on TQM, a draft of TQM Model for the MOE was generated. The proposed TQM Tree Model consists of seven TQM principles that suit the MOE; commitment toward TQM, focus on stakeholders, involvement and empowerment, Maryam ALNabhani, 2007 iii continuous improvement, training and education, tools and techniques, and rewards. The views of different groups -top management, internal stakeholders and external stakeholders- on the proposed model of TQM and views on issues related to implementation -were also- gathered. The third part of the thesis reports on the methodology; the data collection and analysis; and the conclusions and recommendations. This stage of the research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. It used a closed item questionnaire to gain a broad feel for the acceptability of the TQM ideas and to establish a broad baseline. In addition, open-ended questions in the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used for the same purpose and to provide additional information regarding the TQM implementation; the possible obstacles and facilitating factors. The analysis showed that TQM Tree Model was seen to be a possible approach by top management and stakeholders to develop the Ministry of Education in Oman. The final stage of the study was to gather the views of those in executive positions in the MOE regarding the proposed model of TQM and to identify issues to be considered in an implementation framework. Thus semi-structured interviews were conducted with six of the key personnel in the MOE. Some issues arising from the analysis of all the data collected including final set of the interviews with the executives led to the modification of the proposed TQM Tree Model. Three supportive factors were added as roots for the model; teamwork, budget and communication. In the light of the results from this study, the TQM principles and implementation in education, an implementation framework for the TQM Tree Model in the MOE in Oman is proposed. This implementation framework consists of five stages: the decision, the preparation, the implementation, the evaluation and rewards, and the continuous improvement. Finally the thesis concludes with some recommendations for education development in the light of TQM, some recommendations for the MOE regarding the TQM and some recommendations for further studies

Eco-friendly Concrete Using Waste Plastic Bottles as Aggregate: A Case Study from Oman

Waste plastic bottles (WPB) (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) type are used widely for water storage and eventually become environmental burden. This study investigated an innovative application of the WPB to partially replace the fine aggregate in concrete nonstructural element. This research evaluated the effect of plastic content on concrete mechanical and physical properties. The WPBs were ground into < 5 mm in size equal to the fine aggregate size. Therefore, different percentages of WPB were used namely 10, 20 and 30%. The results revealed that 20% of the WPB showed the best results to produce light weight concrete. The compressive strength was reduced by 20% only with 20% of WPB which it declined by 42% with higher WPB content. Moreover, concrete with 20% of WPB content achieved ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) of 3 km/s which indicated a satisfactory level of concrete integrity. This indeed clearly indicated that the plastic content should be carefully selected before full applications. This study suggested that each cubic meter of concrete can accommodate around 100 kg of WPB. Indeed, that will reduce the pressure on landfills and the environment by having this innovative application

Oxide Activated Carbon for Seawater Desalination Using Solar Energy

Desalination of seawater is the efficient process and a viable solution for water shortage problem. One of the latest possible solution with less energy consumption is the use of activated carbon for the desalination process. In this work activated carbon was produced from palm trees trunk. The preparation of the activated carbon was done by two steps process. The first step was the pyrolysis for two hours at 700 °C under nitrogen gas flow of 150 ml/min. The next step was the physiochemical activation using potassium hydroxide (1:1) under nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas flow of 150 m/min for two hours. The prepared activated carbon was analyzed using SEM, EXD and XRD to study the surface area, the porosity and the chemical composition. The application of the activated carbon in the desalination process was done by initially oxidizing the AC to use it for the reduction of the boiling point of the seawater followed by the desalination. This was supported with the use of a solar panel to provide the required energy for evaporation. The prepared activated carbon in this study was used to produce fresh water by the desalination of seawater based on environmentally safe and lower energy cost method, which is a promising technique that can overcome the shortcomings of the current used technologies

The Prognostic Significance of Whole Blood Global and Specific DNA Methylation Levels in Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Epigenetics, particularly DNA methylation, has recently been elucidated as important in gastric cancer (GC) initiation and progression. We investigated the clinical and prognostic importance of whole blood global and site-specific DNA methylation in GC. tests. Survival analyses were carried out using the Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test. A backward conditional Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify independent predictors of survival. = 0.02) respectively.Analysis of global and site-specific DNA methylation in peripheral blood by pyrosequencing provides quantitative DNA methylation values that may serve as important prognostic indicators

Evaluation of Action Research Criteria of the Trainees Research at the Specialized Institute for Professional Training of Teachers in the Sultanate of Oman in the light of some variables

The study aimed to evaluate action research criteria of the trainees researchs at the Specialized Institute for Professional Training of Teachers (SIPTT) in the Sultanate of Oman in the light of some variables. The sample consisted of 60 action research from the School Leadership and Senior Teacher Programs. The Assessment Analysis Rubric was used as an instrument to analyses the action research samples. The study found that the degree to which trainees at the (SIPTT) adhere to the criteria of action research were weak. The results also indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the degree of compliance of the trainees of the (SIPTT) in the Sultanate of Oman with the criteria and methodology of action research according to program, while the findings revealed no differences according to gender variable. In the light of these results, the study provided a number of recommendations, the most prominent were implementing of workshops for trainees in support of the Institute’s programs in the field of action research methodology and its criteria, which was implemented by specialists such as the academic writing workshop, the data analysis workshop, and the scientific documentation workshop. In addition, reconsider the number of scheduled training sessions for action research within the face-to-face training

Multi-center study on mortality in children, and adults with sickle cell anemia-risk factors and causes of death

Abstract Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major public health burden worldwide with increasing morbidity and mortality. The study evaluates the risk factors associated with mortality in SCD patients, between the years 2006 and 2020 at three hospitals in Oman. The analysis includes clinical manifestations, haematological, biochemical, and radiological parameters, use of antibiotics, and blood and exchange transfusions. Our cohort included 123 patients (82 males, 41 females), with a median age of 27 (Interquartile Range 21–35 years). SCD related complications included acute chest syndrome (ACS) in 52.8%, splenic sequestration in 21.1%, right upper quadrant syndrome in 19.5%, more than > 6 VOC/year in 17.9%, and stroke in 13.8%. At the terminal admission, patients had cough, reduced O2 saturation, crepitation and fever in 24.4%, 49.6%, 53.6% and 68.3% respectively. Abnormal chest X-ray and chest CT scan were seen in 57.7%, and 76.4% respectively. Laboratory parameters showed a significant drop in hemoglobin (Hb) and platelet counts from baseline, with a significant rise in WBC, LDH and CRP from baseline (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test). All patients received antibiotics, whereas, 95.9% and 93.5% received simple blood transfusions, and exchange transfusions respectively, and 66.6% required non-invasive ventilation. Among the causes of death, ACS is seen in 32 (26%), sepsis in 49 (40%), and miscellaneous in 42 (34%). Sudden death was seen in 32 (26%) of patients. Male gender, with low HbF, rapid drop in Hb and platelet, and increased in WBC, LDH, ferritin, and CRP, correlated significantly with mortality in this cohort