Omani students mark Oman National Day

Miri – 23 November 2011 – Omani students studying at Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) marked the Sultanate of Oman’s 41st National Day at the university campus on 18 November 2011.

The Omanis, who currently number about 60 and the majority of whom are Omani Government-sponsored scholars, organised a celebration event in the Harry Perkins Lecture Theatre to which fellow students, their lecturers and other staff of the university were invited.

Present were Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Curtin Sarawak, Professor Ian Kerr; Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Alistair Inglis; Chief Operating Officer Nicholas Ching; Dean of the School of Foundation and Continuing Studies, Dr Beena Giridharan; and Marketing Manager Liew Mei Yin.

Also present were Datu Robert Lian, Director of Immigration, Sarawak, and staff of the Immigration Department from Kuching and Miri, who were visiting the campus.

The event included a welcoming speech by one of the Omani students, Quran recital, playing of the Omani national anthem, speech by Professor Kerr, cake-cutting ceremony, video presentation on Oman, poem recital, and an Omani traditional dance by some of the students.

In his speech, Professor Kerr thanked the Omani students for organising this celebration in conjunction with their country’s national day. He commended them for their initiative to share with the rest of the university community the joy of their country’s national day, which coincides with the birthday of Omani ruler Sultan Sayyed Qaboos, as well as aspects of their history and culture.

“I understand Oman’s National Day is celebrated on a grand scale all over your country each year, and though you are marking the occasion on a small scale here in Miri, it is good that you have not lost sight of the significance of the occasion,” said Professor Kerr.

He went on to wish them every success in their learning experience at Curtin Sarawak, and hoped they would continue to be worthy ambassadors of Oman throughout their time in Sarawak.

Curtin Sarawak presently has close to 3,500 students, of whom approximately 20 percent are international students from some 40 different countries. It also has a number of expatriate staff from a multitude of countries. This not only makes for a unique international and cross-cultural learning environment for students on campus, but also further enriches the cultural diversity of the local community.

For more information on Curtin Sarawak, visit its website at www.curtin.edu.my, call +60 85 443 939 or e-mail enquiries@curtin.edu.my.

Omani student in national costume emceeing the event.