Oman’s sultan orders laptops for students enrolled in higher education

Oman’s sultan Haitham bin Tareq has ordered providing laptop computers for new students attending higher education institutions in the coming academic year, the country’s official news agency ONA reported Tuesday.

The targeted students are children of families of social security and limited income, ONA added, citing a statement from the sultan’s media office.

“The royal gesture aims at enhancing students’ abilities in the field of information technology and digital communication to cope with the modern education methods and distance-learning,” the statement added.

Oman has set the new academic year to begin on November 1.

Haitham ascended to the throne in January after the death of Sultan Qaboos who had ruled Oman for nearly five decades.