Project Joma, the village school of English
Project Joma is a volunteer work program founded and initiated by Jose Mari Almonte and Matar Al Abri on July 16, 2018 to help Omani children enhance their English communication skills. The project is dubbed “Project Joma” which the founders have coined using the first syllables of their names Jose and Matar.
When my personal website was launched in October 2017, my original intention was to start a blog on a platform in which I can share and discuss issues related to English language learning. However, when the idea of volunteer work cropped up, I joined in the volunteer work and thought of dedicating this site with a mission and vision in mind.
On July 2, 2018 Matar Al Abri conducted English conversation classes in an old, traditional room in a village in Rustaq where he used to study Islam as a child. It was then the beginning of a series of teaching -learning activities in the hope of increasing the level of awareness and importance of the English language among the youth to prepare them for higher studies. Moreover, it offered the learners opportunities to learn English in a fun, informal and productive way. A variety of activities were introduced in their classes as a break from their regular school routine.
It is our belief that learners can effectively learn a language without following a course book; hence, this site is www.thebookisout.com. The age, interests and needs of the learners are taken into consideration when designing learning activities. More importantly, we put emphasis on the fact that education is not merely confined to acquiring basic language skills but acquiring values education as well. Consequently, they grow and develop to be globally competitive individuals and responsible citizens of the community and the society.