Omani students as Track 2 diplomats?
Published: 04:05 PM,May 12,2026 | EDITED : 07:05 PM,May 12,2026
During the formative years of the Omani education system, the Sultanate of Oman, like many Gulf states, relied heavily on transnational higher education. Students were sent abroad to study while national curricula and institutions were still being developed.
In parallel, Oman invested in building its own HEIs, creating the infrastructure necessary to educate future generations domestically. Despite this evolution, one question remains constant: why do we pursue higher education? The answers are often multifaceted, but the underlying objective is consistent: to acquire knowledge, develop skills and expand intellectual capacity.
Yet, some of the most significant outputs of this process remain largely underutilised: the dissertations and theses. For most students, writing a dissertation is a prerequisite for obtaining a degree, be it undergraduate or postgraduate. However, once submitted, it is rarely, if ever revisited.
This is particularly significant for Oman, which continues to have a large number of students studying abroad. Each year, a substantial body of research is produced by Omani students across global institutions.
In many developed nations, states leverage such output through scientific attachés to promote their research ecosystems and attract talent. In the Omani context, however, this research often remains disconnected from national priorities.
This raises a simple but important question: could Oman benefit from encouraging students to conduct research on topics relevant to the Sultanate of Oman? Such an approach would yield two immediate advantages. First, it would create a large, centralised digital repository of knowledge, like a pool of research that could be drawn upon by students, policymakers, institutions and academics for knowledge creation.
Second, it would foster the concept of “knowledge economy”, as in a research-oriented mindset among younger generations, embedding a culture of inquiry and national relevance within academic work, which is key to the achievement of Oman Vision 2040. This is particularly important in the context of Oman’s ambition to transition towards a knowledge-based economy.
High-quality student research, in fields including but not limited to economics, politics, engineering, water management and environmental studies, could serve as a valuable data source for national development. While not all disciplines lend themselves to an Omani-specific focus, those that do present a clear opportunity. However, this proposal also requires a broader shift in how we conceptualise education itself.
As a society, government and individuals, it is of the utmost importance to move beyond viewing a degree merely as a pathway to employment. This requires us to challenge the prevailing logic of Signaling Theory. When a degree becomes nothing more than a credential for employment security, the transformative power of learning is sidelined.
Instead, education must be reclaimed as a rigorous process of self-improvement and a meaningful contribution to the collective good. In an increasingly sophisticated world, there is also a risk of complacency.
As psychologist Steven Pinker has argued, modern societies can fall into a state of “civic inertia”, where stability and progress are taken for granted. This creates the illusion of what might be termed “progress inevitability” namely the belief that societal advancement will continue without active contribution.
When education is treated purely as a private investment, this inertia is reinforced. We become passive beneficiaries of systems rather than active contributors to them. Reframing student research as a national asset challenges this mindset.
It also introduces an important diplomatic dimension. As a former French Counselor for Science and Technology and an economist, Pierre-Bruno Ruffini notes that “science diplomats” are not limited to formal state actors; they include all individuals operating at the intersection of science and diplomacy.
In this context, Omani students abroad are already embedded within global academic networks. They engage with international institutions, collaborate with peers and contribute to knowledge production. In doing so, they are, intentionally or not, representing Oman. Diplomatic engagement is often understood through three levels: Track 1 (official state diplomacy), Track 1.5 (semi-official actors) and Track 2 (non-official participants). This raises a compelling possibility: could Omani students, or in any late developer economy country, themselves be understood as Track 2 actors?
By aligning their research with national priorities, students could contribute not only to knowledge production, but also to the Sultanate of Oman’s broader scientific and technological positioning. Their work becomes both academically valuable and diplomatically relevant. The creation of a structured metadata pool, capturing research produced and co-produced by Omani talent, would make this knowledge accessible and actionable. More importantly, it would shift the narrative from brain drain to brain circulation, where knowledge flows between Oman and the global academic ecosystem rather than being lost to it.