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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Omani students meet at Scholars’ Café

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Badriya Mohammed al Balushi -


Muscat, Jan. 30 -


Omani Student Societies of Australia (OSSA) and New Zealand organised the first interactive forum this year at Harmlek Café in Wave Muscat recently.


The societies had a fruitful gathering titled ‘Scholar’s Café’, in which Omani graduates, students and those who will be studying abroad discussed likely challenges for students and how to overcome them.


The forum is part of a collaborative work of members of OSSA and New Zealand with the help of Oman’s Consul-General in Melbourne, Dr Hamed al Alawi.


Hilal bin Mudhaffar al Riyami, head of organising committees of the forum, said: “The forum is a gathering of Omani students and graduates of Australian and New Zealand universities, in which they can benefit from realistic examples and experiences they could not get overseas as their universities were in different states.”


The forum focused on four main themes: financial planning, self-development, ways of activating the role of Omani student societies overseas and the life of Omani scholars after graduation.


Participants were formed into small groups. A role play on a student life overseas was presented.


It showed how a student would encounter a problem and asked the participants to provide creative solutions.


Financial planning was discussed by Abdullah al Kindi, a chemical engineering graduate from Curtain Technological University in Australia. He spoke about financial issues faced by students overseas and offered tips on how to overcome them.


Hilal al Riyami, a bachelor of information technology at University of Queensland, dwelt on self-development and how to balance academic and social life.


He offered tips on how to utilise summer holidays for fun and self-development activities. On the other hand, Shihab al Busaidi, a graduate from New Zealand, presented guidelines on how to activate the roles of Omani societies overseas.


A talk on the final theme, ‘What after Scholarship’, was delivered by Maryam al Balushi, a graduate of events management from University of Queensland. She said wasting time on useless tasks after graduation should be avoided.


“Once back from overseas, students should look for activities to develop their abilities and skills besides looking for suitable jobs.”


Participants at the gathering communicated with scholars and future pioneers where interesting experiences, ideas besides solutions, were shared.


Al Riyami also said a ‘fun day gathering for families’ would be held next week as part of 2017 activities.


A closing ceremony for activities of the year will be implemented under the auspices of the under-secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education with the presence of many Omanis and representatives from Australian universities.


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