Closing down schools that are not up to the mission of teaching our sons and daughters needs courage and a serious search for other schools that can improve overall performance.
The Education Council is aware of the violations committed by these schools, which operate commercially, but turns a blind eye because of the weakness of the education administration, especially when it comes to the Private Schools Office.
I have wanted to write about “the performance of private schools in Qatar” for a long time. I also wanted to write about the irresponsible administrative practices of these schools, which are supposed to teach our children. Few of these schools are efficient, provide quality education and work hard to improve their standards in Qatar.
A large number of Qataris have started to fiercely criticise many of these schools over the past few years. This is because of the schools’ failure to maintain educational standards, which, in the end does not serve the education process as a whole, but serves the interests of their owners who have already turned into handbag traders! This is the reality.
What is regrettable is that education officials in our country hardly care for this issue, which is also important for a large number of people in this country, whether they are Qataris or expats. Quick action is needed to solve this problem so that our educational standards improve.
The Private Schools Office
The Private Schools Office is located at the Supreme Education Council. I do not know the exact function of the office. Does this office do its work properly in order to improve education in Qatar’s schools? Has it turned into an agency that favours school owners and stands with them, especially given that some of the owners are merchants and moguls?
The Supreme Education Council writes on its website that the Private Schools Office is responsible for licensing all private schools that operate in Qatar, including private nursery schools and kindergartens. It adds that the office is also responsible for ensuring the compliance of the schools with the standards and the rules of the Supreme Education Council.
The fact that a large percentage of the nation’s students receive their education at private schools makes it necessary for the state to pay attention to these schools by encouraging them to carrying out their role of contributing to transformation and development projects, the council adds on its website.
It adds that the education sector is a cornerstone of the development of society, its progress and ability to cope up with modern civilisation. It notes that the state — through the Supreme Education Council — was keen to usher in the mechanisms and regulations that help these schools carry out their duty of introducing a quality educational service that contributes to the progress of society, given the importance of these schools.
Applying international standards to schools
This came through an Education Minister decision for the year 2009, provided that private schools commit themselves to applying the following standards and regulations.
First, schools that apply national standards and private kindergarten.
These schools have to present proof that they apply the standards of Qatari curricula or apply one of the accredited school curricula.
Second, schools that apply international standards.
These schools have to present proof that they apply these international standards, provided that this proof is certified and recognised by the agency that licensed the standards within three months from the issuance of the decision.
These schools also have to teach the Arabic language, Islamic studies and the history of Qatar.
Other standards and conditions are also important, but most of them are not applied to all schools.
These standards and conditions include the following:
First, commitment to school building standards in the light of the regulations of the Supreme Education Council
Second, taking the necessary measures to obtain international or local recognition.
Third, starting measures to obtain professional licences for teaching and administrative staff from departments of the Supreme Education Council.
Four, paying special attention to students with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Five, making proper assessments in the light of all the required information and data and then releasing the results of these assessments and relevant reports.
Six, forming the board of trustees in the light of the measures and the policies of the Supreme Education Council.
Here, the finely-worded information mentioned on the website of the Supreme Education Council comes to an end.
The commercial nature of private schools:
There is need for a set of new regulations to be applied to private schools in Qatar. The fact that tuition fees are different from one school to another reveals greed on the part of owners of some such schools. If this is not the case, why should the fee of one school be QR28,000, whereas another one charges its students QR40,000 each, and a third one QR50,000 and a fourth one QR60,000?
School fees are on a continual rise every year in the absence of laws that unify these fees. Some private schools even force parents to pay additional fees for transportation, textbooks, internal parties, excursions and other unnecessary things. In the first place, such fees should be paid by schools, but the absence of decision-makers makes it easy for exploitation to take place. Without decision-makers, it is easy for school administrations to get whatever they want from parents.
Our private schools have turned into commercial institutions, not institutions of learning responsible for the education of our children.
The Supreme Education Council is aware of the violations committed by such schools, but it turns a blind eye because of the weakness of the educational administration, especially when it comes to the Private Schools Office. Closing down some commercial and useless private schools needs courage. Silence will not work.
