DOHA: Many parents fear that the e-education programme wouldn’t be executed correctly and schools might not have received as yet the number of computer sets they require, even though the academic year has already begun, local Arabic daily Al Raya reported yesterday.
These parents think that neither students nor teachers might have received proper training and that the number of computers in schools might be insufficient.
They say educators and pupils don’t have enough awareness or capacity to use IT and that the schools selected to implement these programmes haven’t taken any practical steps to implement them so far.
A Qatari national Jasem Al Sharsheni asked whether the schools are ready for this programme and if the teachers have been prepared, especially because IT curriculum needs special training to give teachers capacity and skills.
Mohammed Nasser Al Hajeri said that the academic year already started but parents see nothing has been done and teachers are still waiting for training workshops. This Qatari thinks that training of teachers should not take place during the school year, at the expense of students’ time.
However, he clarifies that IT curriculum contents are introduced in two languages, Arabic and English, and it includes an electronic library which provides many books and magazines and audiovisual teaching materials.
A source from the Supreme Education Council (SEC) said that it was natural for parents to be worried because this programme is new.
This source also ensured that the Ministry of Education doesn’t apply any educational programmes unless it has discussed all aspects and consulted many experts and that schools are selected according to specific criteria. The SEC selected 50 schools for this programme.
The Peninsula
