MUSCAT: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Riyada) held its 18th dialogue session on Monday, titled 'Opportunities and Challenges for SMEs in School Education' attended by Dr Abdullah bin Khamis Ambusaidi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education for Education, Mazen bin Saif al Busaidy, Vice-Chairman of Riyada, representatives from relevant organisations and SMEs owners.
The session aimed to strengthen the role of SMEs in discussing key opportunities and challenges they face by presenting innovative ideas, improving operational efficiency, and encouraging government and private sector partnerships and collaborations with SMEs.
Rahma al Hashami, Head of the Education and Innovation Committee in Ghadfa, Al Batinah South Governorate, said: “The direct meeting between us as entrepreneurs in the education sector added a lot because it is a direct dialogue forum that takes questions and challenges and actually proposes solutions, which proves that our questions are taken into consideration and that there are interest and support for entrepreneurs in the education sector.”
Statistics on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in school education as of the end of November 2025 indicate that 1,174 SMEs are registered in the Authority's database, comprising 938 micro-enterprises, 198 small enterprises and 38 medium-sized enterprises in the school education sector. Of these, 304 hold an entrepreneurship card.
The most prominent activities of SMEs in the school education sector as of the end of November 2025 include: 617 activities in primary education in the first stage, 132 for school transportation, 117 educational consulting services, 106 for Quran memorisation schools, 94 activities for private early childhood education schools (Quranic education), 53 activities in secondary education (second stage), 30 educational guidance services, 23 educational testing services and two activities in general secondary education.
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