To What Extent Dose Physical Education Training Programme In Oman Comply With Islamic Rules Or Culture?

The purpose of this paper is to address the concern that despite several developments and initiatives in Oman’s Physical Education Teacher Programme (PETP) over recent years, female students have been little engaged with it since they doubt its ability to meet Islamic and Omani cultural requirements.

The paper focuses on how the PETP contributes to this lack of engagement among women by exploring the level to which the training does in fact comply with Islamic rules and Omani culture. It also highlights how the PETP could bring positive changes to the lives of female students, and it considers ways in which it could contribute to developing respect in line with Islamic rules and the culture in Oman. Two main issues are identified as relevant for trainee PE teachers: compliance with Islamic rules and the prevailing Omani culture, and the opportunity to make positive changes to the lives of female students. Evidence suggests that the cultural aspect is more problematic since the Arab culture as it exists in Oman is stronger in some regions than others.