Muscat - KUNA
Oman will celebrate its 43rd National Day on Monday, with the country reaching a new phase of development and prominent achievements in all fields just as Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed had promised his people. Sultan Qaboos had put all his efforts to take Oman to a new level since he came to power in the early 70s, where he took the mission of developing all of the country's organizations in economic, social, health, educational, cultural and sports sectors. Oman had taken many measures to increase local investments and attract foreign investors as well. Moreover it had been running many manufacturing, economic, and touristic projects to support the country's economy and find other sources for Oman's national income which does not mainly depend on oil. Tourism is another evolving sector in the Sultanate nowadays, with the government paying great attention to develop the country's tourist attraction sites, to advertise and present Oman as a great tourism destination, which will increase the income and create a stronger economy. Sultan Qaboos's main concern was to give Omani people a better life, therefor, he paid great attention to develop different social fields such as education and health. The health sector had seen local and international achievements by providing patients with perfect medical services, and increasing the number of hospitals from only four in 1970 to about 60 in 2010. Moreover, the number of clinics went from 19 in 1970 to 250 in 2011. As for the education sector, the number of schools increased from three in 1970 to 13,000 in 2010-2011. Curriculums have also been developed and teachers were given preparation courses to be able to teach in the best ways possible. The government also provided teachers with residences and gave aid and concessionary housing loans to those with low income. The Sultanate believes in the importance of the role played by women in building society, therefore Omani women were given attention in all fields to develop themselves and their skills. The Sultanate had also followed the democratic path by giving the people the right to participate in the ongoing developments. Oman also works for strengthening its relations with other GCC countries, Arab countries, and the international community.