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stops for ships plying the Indo-
Arabian maritime trade network
with merchants moving goods (dates,
frankincense, and horses traded for
spices, textiles, rice, and timber from
India) since 3,000 BCE. Coastal
Indian communities, especially from
Gujarat, Kerala, and Maharashtra,
have long-standing business and
commerce relationships with Omani
merchants, moving goods between
India, Mesopotamia, and East Africa.
As a result of this long shared
history, Indian professionals and
workers who constitute 30 percent
of Oman’s expatriates, are active
in trade, construction, healthcare,
and education sectors and Indian
culture — food, films, festivals — has Al Sabahi: student-centric institution Lefeer Muhamed: social media publicity
a visible presence in the country,
especially in Muscat. son, Board of Trustees of Middle Muhamed, a journalism, psychol-
Oman was conquered and ruled East College, Muscat (MEC, estb. ogy and English literature graduate
by European maritime powers in- 2002), suggested that in light of Ed- of Christ University, Bangalore with
cluding the Portuguese (1507-1650) ucationWorld’s global perspective, an MBA from Wolverhampton Uni-
and later became a British protec- your editors might do well to check versity. While at Wolverhampton,
torate until 1971 when the much- out MEC — an Indo-Oman venture Al Sabahi and Lefeer (as he prefers
revered Sultan Qaboos established — for coverage, we accepted the offer to be addressed) struck a friendship,
Oman as an independent nation. despite pressing deadlines to make a banding together to promote MEC
Latter-day Omanis — always a cul- lightning fast visit to MEC’s Muscat on a bare 25-acre sandy site in sub-
turally rooted people proud of their campus. We were also persuaded urban Muscat where the government
traditions and autonomy — tend to by the reality that Muscat is a mere proposed to build an education hub,
be less deferential towards Europe- three hours flight from Bangalore christened the Knowledge Oasis.
ans than people in other Middle East which hosts this publication’s edito- For getting this enterprise
countries. Several haveli style-homes rial office. promoted in the new millennium
of businessmen from Gujarat with The three-day audit-visit to MEC (2002) off the ground, the young
centuries-old commerce links with provided valuable lessons in edupre- edupreneurs recall with gratitude the
the sultanate, overlook Muscat’s neurship, institution development aid and advice they received from
spic-n-span, Muttrah port. Indian and management as also the impor- the Manipal Academy of Higher
businessmen and professionals tance of academic and administra- Education (MAHE), in particular its
residing in Oman aver that natives tive autonomy in higher education Chancellor Dr. Ramdas Pai and
of the sultanate tend to be more institutions (HEIs). his lieutenant Dr. Glenn Khorkongor
friendly and welcoming of Indian A privately promoted self- (aka Christo).
businessmen and health and educa- financed HEI providing four-year “We received invaluable institu-
tion professionals than other Middle undergraduate computer science, tion capacity building aid and advice
East countries. engineering and business man- from MAHE in our initial, starting
Therefore when Dr. Glenn agement education, MEC has an years. Indeed, our very first batch
Khorgonkor, a former vice presi- interesting history. It was ideated in of graduates were awarded MAHE
dent of the globe-girdling Manipal the UK by two business management degrees,” recalls Lefeer. However,
Education and Medical Group students — Oman-born Abdullah shortly thereafter in 2006, MEC en-
(MEMG) who played an important Saif Ahmed Al Sabahi, a political tered into a long-standing institution
role in establishing MEMG’s thriving science grad of New England College, development and affiliation agree-
Malaysia and Dubai campuses and Littlehampton (USA), who pressed ment with Coventry University (UK)
currently Founder-Chancellor of the on to study business management at which has an excellent global reputa-
Martin Luther Christian University, University of Wolverhampton (UK), tion for its high-quality engineering
Shillong (estb.2005) and Chairper- and India (Kerala)-born Lefeer study programmes. Subsequently

NOVEMBER 2025 EDUCATIONWORLD 113