MUSCAT: The demand for admissions to Indian schools in Oman has slumped to a five-year low, according to the latest figures monitored by The Arabian Stories.

There has been more than 30 per cent drop in the number of students looking for admissions in Indian schools in 2021, compared to last year.

Early this year, the Board of Directors (BOD) of Indian schools in Oman had opened the admission for the new academic year through a centralised portal for the 7,934 vacancies but saw only 2,530 applications for admission to the various schools in the country. Last year, there were 5,415 vacancies, while only 3,744 students filled the seats. “Compared to last year, the admission is 1,214 lesser (32%),” a senior BOD official said.

Further, according to statistics, the Indian school board received 4,746 applications in 2019, 4,422 in 2018, 5,078 in 2017. As of today, a staggering 43,000 students are studying in various Indian schools in Oman.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many people have left or sent their families back home. For the first time last year, the number of Indians living in Oman had dropped below 500,000, according to a survey by the National Centre for Statistics and Information. “There has been a steady drop in admissions in the last few years but this time it’s more because of the pandemic,” the official added.