Parents

Parents have a special stake in the success of Qatar’s education reform effort – the future of their children.  The State’s reforms are geared toward giving Qatari children the best education possible according to international standards, by expanding their options for learning.   With the opening of Independent Schools, parents will  have numerous educational alternatives available to them over time and will be able to select the school best suited to  the needs and interests of each of their children. 

The Independent Schools will be overseen and supported by the Supreme Education Council’s (SEC) Education Institute.  While the schools will preserve local values, culture and beliefs, they will be held to rigorous curriculum standards based on international benchmarks in Arabic, English, mathematics and science.  Other subjects will also be taught but may vary from school to school.  Tuition is free for Qataris and others eligible for public education. 

Annual student assessments are the second element of the reform effort.  By means of the Qatar Comprehensive Educational Assessment, children will be given a series of standardized tests each year in order to monitor student learning.  While individual student scores will not be released to the public, students’ collective scores will be made available in the form of a school report card published by the Evaluation Institute. Also included in the report card will be a wide range of other information about schools and their performance and functioning.  These report cards will help inform parents about schools and their accomplishments and will assist them in choosing the best schools for their children.