Mon 23 Nov 2020 3 min read

#21 50 Glorious Years

Kai Vacher

The 50th National Day has been a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and reflect on Oman’s tremendous strength and stability. It also reminds us of our duty to seize every opportunity to better the lives of all the citizens fortunate enough to live in the sultanate. It is 50 years since the ‘Blessed Renaissance’ of 1970, and here at BSM we now enter our 50th year, having been set up just one year later.

50th National Day celebrations at BSM

There are many parallels in the development of Oman and our school. In 1970 only 10km of tarmac road existed in the country, only two health centres and three schools existed, and no foreign travel was permitted. In 1971 the English Speaking School was founded with just 3 students and a single teacher. Both Oman and BSM were at the very beginning of their journey into what we find today.

In 1973, on the third National Day, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos (may his soul forever rest in peace) addressed his people with the words “Everyone in this nation is equal. There isn’t any difference between big and small, rich and poor; for equality mandates everyone to be siblings under the umbrella of social justice.

This year, His Majesty Sultan Haitham said “We will continue to be inspired by the same principles and values (as those of Sultan Qaboos), to lead our country with confident steps towards the prestigious position that we all aspire to.”

Mirroring these thoughts, one of our students, Rishika Singh, recently wrote a special poem describing Oman as a country where “Peace is not a concept but a lifestyle” and ending with this powerful accolade “Where every belief stands on pillars of love and respect, like the place it thrives in.”

Many of our BSM family feel the same as Rishika, and our ongoing mission to grow our students to be ‘best for the world’ is derived from the pillars she identifies. This mission is underscored by our BSM learning ethos; be safe, be ready and be respectful.

Oman’s wonderful landscape of wadis, mountains, desert and pristine coastline, taken together with its welcoming people, ensure that our BSM learning ethos is both compelling and exciting. It inspires us all to succeed, just as Oman itself has grown into a modern and vibrant place to live, admired the world over.

Infrastructure and business has flourished in Oman in recent years. We have built our campus, and supported and inspired all our staff to develop their skills, the key that has enabled our school to go from strength to strength. During the Covid-19 pandemic our team has rapidly up-skilled its IT capabilities to offer best in class online and blended learning provision. In this way technology is now supporting our students more effectively than ever before, and this transformation has permanent and sustainable benefits.

We are looking forward to resuming more normal operations so that all our students can once again be using our inspiring facilities including our swimming pools, sports halls and theatre. We still have plans for further improvements to be made at the right time.

My aspiration is for Oman to continue to be a beacon of hope for many other countries in the world by showing what a difference can be made if peace, love and respect are at the heart of the culture. I know that Oman will continue to develop as a thriving and prosperous country building on the successes of the last five decades. We, at BSM, are so fortunate to be one small part of this remarkable country.