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Join Date: 05 Mar 2015
Location:  OmanPosts: 24 |
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Omani students can now take up part-time jobs |
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Omani students can now take up part-time jobs
Muscat: Omani students can now legally work part-time, under a new a ministerial decision introduced this month which is aimed at protecting the rights of students. It was previously illegal for students to take up work unless they transferred their sponsorship to their employer. The new part-time work permit decree was issued along with the teenage work permit that allows those between 16 and 18 years of age to be employed only between 6am and 6pm with stringent guidelines. The ministerial decision was issued on April 30 and came into effect the next day. However, this part-time work permission is restricted to citizens only. Expatriates "It would have been better if expatriates were also allowed to work part time," said Rashid Khalfan, the owner of construction company. Tonia Gray, general manager, Competence HR, said, "As a mother of students over the age of 16, I would have liked to see this extended to expatriates, as I am a great believer in youngsters gaining experience and taking some responsibility. However, I do understand that this opportunity should be offered to nationals." "I think this is an excellent news for the youth of Oman. Young nationals will be able to undertake part-time working legally which will be good in terms of instilling a work ethic for later in their life. Grab the chance "It is very common in most parts of the world for students to work for a maximum number of hours per week and during certain hours, and the government has covered this well. I am unsure as to the restrictions on the type of companies that students can work for. I would have thought excluding any hazardous work would be obvious, but why not office work and for example a clothes shop? I hope youngsters take this opportunity to develop their skills and gain experience for their future," she said. Welcoming this decision, university professors said that it was a good move as students can earn while studying. "I think a student holding a part-time job spends his time productively. The benefits include learning to handle responsibilities, manage time, interact with adults, get a peek at the working world and also occupy time in a worthwhile activity other than getting into all kinds of mischief and trouble," said Indrani Basu, head, Department of English, Waljat College of Applied Sciences, Rusayl, Muscat. "Students who start working also begin to act like adults, and their self-esteem grows once they earn extra money. However, all students are not capable of handling part-time jobs which may sometimes interfere with essential study time or important extracurricular activities, and as a result their grades begin to suffer and some may even drop out of the programme," she added. Pleased Even though it is too early to gauge employer response, students are undoubtedly pleased with the introduction of the decision. "It is good for us as we will able to make some money," said Mohammed Al Balushi, a college student. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, minister of manpower, issued a ministerial decision whereby employers can recruit workers on part-time basis on the following conditions including that part-time workers should not exceed 10 per cent of the specified Omanisation rate and their employment should be confined to private institutions. The employer should also provide the Ministry of Manpower with the names of part-time employees along with their job designations. Source:timesofoman http://www.timesofoman.com/News/51716/Article-Omani-students-can-now-take-up-part-time-jobs |
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