Closer Cooperation with Oman
The visit from Oman to Finland that took place early in the year continued in June with a week-long visit to TUAS by two representatives of the country's Ministry of Higher Education. The purpose was to promote the cooperation that started in March.
During the visit, representatives of Oman’s Ministry of Higher Education, Qasim Al-Mamari and Hilal Ali Abdullah Al Maqbali, got to know the operations of Turku University of Applied Sciences in Turku and Salo. In addition to cooperation negotiations, they also found time to get to know the teamwork-based learning methods at BusinessAcademy.
Interested in modern learning environments
The good reputation of Finnish education was the factor that got the Omani interested in cooperation in the first place. The Minister of Higher Education of Oman, Rawya Al-Busaidi, who visited Turku in March, said that they were especially interested in modern learning methods and environments used in higher education.
The Minister also praised the inclusion of entrepreneurial tuition in the studies of different fields.
“Encouraging entrepreneurship is an excellent way to prevent youth unemployment.”
United by the will to develop education
This time, the visit was especially focused on the contents of the future cooperation. The plans include, among others, starting student and teacher exchanges and joint research and development projects. The multidisciplinarity of Turku University of Applied Sciences is a benefit when starting the cooperation, because Oman is interested in cooperation in the IT field as well as in health and well-being and the cultural fields.
“We and the Omani share an interest in developing the education and its quality”, says Taru Kakko, who coordinated the visit, from Turku University of Applied Sciences.
