MUSCAT – Oman Shell, in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE), Royal Oman Police (ROP) and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), celebrated the successful implementation of VIA’s Global Road Safety Programme in four schools in the Muscat Governorate, at the closing workshop for the effective educational course.
Speaking about the VIA Road Safety programme’s impact and importance, His Excellency, Abdullah Ambusaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education said, “It is essential that we create safer and more responsible road users for the future. This is precisely where the VIA programme comes in. Not only has this globally accepted programme ensured students, teachers and drivers develop safe road-user habits and behaviour, but it has also built awareness and helped in developing the skills required to ensure that Oman’s roads are a safe place for everyone involved. The successful implementation of the programme in the 4 pilot schools is a positive sign, and I’m sure that the close collaboration between the Ministry of Education, GRSP, Oman Shell and the ROP will see the integration of the course material in school curricula across Oman.”
Talking about the experience the ROP staff had during the training, Lt. Colonel Khamis Al Batashi of the ROP said, “The ROP is playing a crucial role in implementing safe road user skills for Oman’s school children. The new programme from VIA which is supported by Oman Shell and conducted by the GRSP experts is a comprehensive and effective training module that has helped our trainers provide students with the necessary guidelines and skills for road safety. This includes educating them on the importance of following traffic rules and regulations. Through this course, we have also played a key role in ensuring school zones are safe for students, which in turn has led to a reduction in accidents involving children. As enforces of the law and road-related attitude and behaviour, we look forward to training and teaching more students in schools across Oman.”
Commenting on the positive impact the new VIA programme has had, Walid Hadi, Oman Shell’s Senior VP and Country Chairman said, “Keeping roads safe, secure and accident-free is not only vital to our business at Shell, but is also a core focus of our social investment programmes in Oman. Over the years, we have introduced several road safety initiatives that have benefitted teachers, students, parents, drivers and local communities alike. In the past four years, our collaborative efforts with the Royal Oman Police and the Ministry of Education have enabled us to extend our road safety initiatives to over 300 schools, benefitting approximately 45,000 students across the Sultanate of Oman.”
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