Private schools must abide by the regulations set by the SEC

The Supreme Education Council is exerting every effort to set effective systems and policies for private schools to meet its standards. The efforts commenced with the issuance of Emiri Decree # 14 for the year 2009 stating that all private schools fall under the umbrella of the SEC. Consequently HE Saad Al Mahmoud, the Minister of Education and Higher Education and Secretary General of the SEC issued decision # 8 for the year 2009 to oblige private schools to the following:

• Effective the 2009/2010 academic year, all Arabic schools and kindergartens must provide evidence that they apply either national or accredited curriculum standards

• All international schools must provide evidence that they are applying an accredited international curriculum – official supporting documents must be submitted within three months from the date of the resolution.

• All international schools must commit to teaching Arabic, Islamic studies and Qatari history beginning with the 2010/2011 school year as stated in article 2 of the ministerial decision.

They must also commit to:
• Adhere to school building specifications in accordance with the standards of the SEC
• Acquire local or international accreditation.
• Begin steps to acquire professional license for teaching and administrative staff from the SEC
• Pay special attention to students with learning difficulties and disabilities.
• Commit to all requirements for assessment and evaluation including data collection and reporting as required by the Evaluation institute.
• Commit to establishing a Board of trustees as per the policies and procedures of the SEC

With regard to article III of the ministerial decision and as stated in Law No. 7 of 1980 the SEC has the right to take legal action should the schools fail to meet the standards and requirements set forth in this resolution. Article IV of the ministerial decision acts on cancelling each provision that contravenes the provisions of this decision, and article 5 of the same resolution states that all concerned authorities begin implementation of this resolution and from the date of its dissemination.

The SEC worked to raise the awareness of the private schools owners and principals with these decisions and regulations and gave them a timeline to adjust their programs accordingly to prevent mishaps that may lead to warning and eventually cancellation of licenses for operating private schools.

The Education Institute director – Sabah Al Haidoos said it was the first step for the SEC towards achieving the objective of the reform of offering quality education to both Qataris and expatriates. “The SEC along with its institutes is keen on assisting the private education in Qatar. Private schools have been given a period of two years to adopt the national curriculum standards set up by the SEC to ensure that the system is aligned.”

Ms. Fauziya al Khater, the private schools director, said it was important for all schools to start preparations to meet the requirements as stated in the ministerial decision saying that the SEC will follow up on the schools and check workflow in developmental plans for school. She said that the private schools office monitored private schools during this academic year and has recorded irregularities and complaints of parents and has acted accordingly.

As for the school building itself, many standards must be met in order to achieve a safe learning environment for student and staff. The school location must be in a good and safe neighborhood, away from noise, shops and industrial and commercial premises. The location must be accessible, away from heavy traffic with parking area and schools buses and be away from all factors that may jeopardize the safety of pupils.

A safe drinking area must be provided for students away from public toilets and one cooler must cater for 50 students at most. The school must have playgrounds for students to practice their extra curricular activities.

The school/KG building must have natural gardens, play area must be made of non-metallic objects and must be up to standards to ensure safety of students and it must be regularly maintained. The building must be made of cement and not wooden material as per the requirements of the civil defense department.

As for the Islamic studies, the SEC urges all schools under its umbrella teach the Islamic curriculum as a basic subject as it represents the corner stone for building the national and spiritual identity of the students. Learners should also be briefed about the religion based on their match their ages so that they do not become extremists in their belief or behavior. They should also be helped to take Islam as the main standard for their life. In teaching Islamic education, stress on the Islamic culture should be considered to enable the students to be open with other cultures.

Considering the large Muslim population in international schools the Arabic language should be applied to maintain the Arabic, religious, and cultural identities. The main aim for using the Arabic language standards in the international schools is to meet the students’ educational requirement and enhance their relationship with their country.

Effective the next academic year, all schools will be obliged to teach Qatari history according to the SEC. The Education Institute will allow these schools to use semi-independent schools’ social studies books due to the short timeline since the decision for teaching social studies was taken.