Oman suspends school classes after fault knocks out power supplies

Ministry of Education says schools will resume on Wednesday

Omani students wearing protective masks amid the Covid-19 pandemic in Muscat, Oman. AFP

Oman on Tuesday suspended classes at private and public schools that were affected by a disruption to power supplies.

Studies are expected to resume on Wednesday but the second round of General Education Diploma exams scheduled for Tuesday have been postponed, the Ministry of Education said.

The ministry has asked education authorities to list the schools affected by the disruption, which affected power supplies to several governorates in the sultanate.

Meanwhile, the Muscat Electricity Distribution Company has confirmed the restoration of power in Muscat.

Officials at utility company Nama Holding said they had managed to restore power supply in most other places.

“Work is under way to restore full service,” the company said.

Nama revealed that the disruption was caused by a “technical malfunction” in one of the transmission lines of the main network.

It denounced several rumours on Twitter, including those attributing the disruption to a cyber attack, an explosion at a power plant and a drop in gas levels.

The Authority for Public Services Regulation also confirmed work was in progress to pinpoint the cause of the technical fault.

“The authority has initiated a detailed investigation with the licensed companies to find out the reasons that led to these interruptions and to avoid their occurrence in the future,” it said.

The Ministry of Health said hospitals were not affected as they had back-up generators.

Oman Airports said full power had been restored at Muscat International Airport, where operations had been affected.