Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA)

In 2010, a Royal Decree was issued establishing the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) and replacing the former Oman Accreditation Council (OAC). The OAAA is an entity with legal status and financial and administrative independence, which reports to the Education Council. The OAAA was established to continue the efforts initiated by the OAC in the dissemination of a quality culture and accreditation of institutions and their programs. This is in order to enable Omani graduates to compete in the job market, and to contribute effectively to the sustainable development of the country.

The Royal Decree stated that OAAA is responsible for regulating the quality of higher education in Oman to ensure the maintenance of a level that meets international standards, and to encourage higher education institutions to improve their internal quality, through the following:

• Establishment of a system that includes the standards and procedures for quality audit and institutional and program accreditation of higher education institutions, in addition to establishment of the procedures for recognizing foreign higher education academic programs offered in Oman.
• Conduct of quality audits of higher education institutions.
• Accreditation of higher education institutions against relevant standards established in this regard.
• Accreditation of higher education academic programs against relevant standards established in this regard.
• Development and update of the National Academic Qualifications Framework in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and other relevant authorities.
• Collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education regarding the development and upgrading of the procedures of quality audit and institutional and program accreditation of higher education institutions.
• Signing of mutual recognition memorandums of understanding with relevant authorities of quality assurance in higher education in other countries.
• Preparation of an annual report regarding the quality of higher education institutions and their programs that are reviewed, and presenting the results and recommendations to the Higher Education Council.
• Publication of quality audit and institutional and program accreditation results.
• Any other issues assigned by the Education Council related to the OAAA’s responsibilities.

Vision is the OAAA aspires to provide efficient, effective and internationally recognized services for accreditation in order to promote quality in higher education in Oman and meet the needs of the public and other stakeholders. Mission is the OAAA guides and supports the Omani higher education sector to meet international standards; maintains the national qualifications framework; and, through a transparent and rigorous system of institutional and program accreditation, provides reliable information to the public and other stakeholders on the quality of higher education in Oman.

The National Quality Training Program was originally rolled out in 2006 in order to provide the higher education sector with support in preparation for national external quality assurance activities. These training modules continue to be widely accessed. The slides and handouts are available, free of charge, to institutions seeking assistance with their quality assurance and quality enhancement activities. Remember that many of the modules were developed prior to the publication of OAAA manuals, and so the relevant manual should always be referred to as the authoritative source on OAAA`s external quality assurance requirements