Qatar’s Outstanding Schools Program

The Outstanding Schools Program is a unique program which has been developed to meet the needs of Qatar’s growing population. It is a part of Qatar’s ongoing educational reform, Education for a New Era, through which the State of Qatar is building a world class education system.

Education for a New Era is based on a variety of principles, which include offering a variety and choice of educational options to families in Qatar as well as a deep respect for local values and traditions. The Outstanding Schools Program takes these core principles and merges them with the best from the world of international education. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Vice Chair of the Supreme Education Council (SEC), started the initiative in 2007 by forming the Outstanding Schools Oversight Committee (OSOC). Under the direction of the OSOC, two private international schools opened in 2008, a third opened in 2009, and the OSOC expects to open new Outstanding Schools in Qatar each year over of the coming 3-5 years.

The result is a growing collection of exceptional schools from around the world establishing branches in Qatar, to serve both Qatari and expatriate students.

Outstanding Schools are selected from top schools throughout the world which teach accredited international or national curricula. Students from these schools are routinely admitted into the world’s most prestigious universities. In addition to implementing the curriculum model from their home campus, all Outstanding Schools in Qatar teach Arabic, Islamic Studies and Qatari Social Studies. Students who attend the Outstanding Schools in Qatar will receive the best in college preparatory education, enabling them to choose from universities within Qatar and abroad.

Membership in the OSOC is by appointment of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al Missned. The committee is chaired by Dr. Ibrahim Saleh Al Naimi, the former President of Qatar University and Founding President of CHN University, Qatar. Other members of the OSOC include senior level public officials and private sector executives with specializations in K-12 and postsecondary education, and representatives of major employers in Qatar.

The OSOC has two primary tasks:

1. To recruit top private international schools to open branch campuses in Qatar.
2. To monitor and support these schools in order to ensure that they maintain the highest educational standards.

Three Outstanding Schools in Qatar
The first two schools established under the Outstanding Schools Initiative, the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions from Houston, Texas,USA and The International School of London in the UK, opened their Qatar branches in Fall 2008. The third Outstanding School, Sherborne School from Dorset, UK, opened its Qatar branch in Fall 2009.

Sherborne’s home campus in the UK is one of England’s oldest and most respected schools, with a history dating back to the 16th century.

Sherborne Qatar opened with its primary school and is expanding yearly to continue through secondary school. In keeping with the ethos of its UK campus and the needs of some families in Qatar, classes in the secondary school in Qatar will be segregated by gender. Students study the national curriculum of England and Wales leading to the GSCE and AS-Level Exams, as well as the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (DP) in the secondary stage. The rigorous academic offerings at Sherborne are rounded out with strong programs in sports, drama, music and art.

Sherborne Qatar is located in the West Nasiriyah area, in close proximity to Education City.

Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions at Qatar is an award winning school from Houston, Texas, offering a college preparatory curriculum to help prepare students for careers in medicine, health sciences and engineering. The school’s campus in Qatar serves students in grades 7-12 and offers a broad-based US curriculum including extensive Advanced Placement (AP) offerings, with special emphasis on science and math. Any student who has completed primary school is welcome to apply. DeBakey Qatar is located in the Messeila area, close to Hamad Hospital.

The International School of London in Qatar (ISLQ) serves students from preschool through secondary school. The school runs International Baccalaureate (IB) program in all its phases. It currently offers the Primary Years Program (PYP), and Middle Years Program (MYP), and is expanding to include the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (DP).

In addition to the rigorous and innovative curriculum, ISL Qatar provides a unique “mother tongue” program to ensure that most students, regardless of nationality, are able to study their native language. ISL Qatar is located in North Duhail.

All three of these schools offer outstanding academic programs and they are each ranked among the top schools in their countries and worldwide. These schools offer varied academic programs which will greatly enhance the educational options for Qataris and expatriates.

The three schools were selected from a pool of applicants which included some of the top K-12 schools from the US, UK and Europe.

For Further Information
Sherborne School Qatar
Tel: 490 2080
www.sherborneqatar.org

DeBakey High School for Health Professions at Qatar
Tel: 499 9858
www.debakeyatqatar.org

International School of London
Tel: 499 5196
www.islqatar.com

The Outstanding Schools Program Office
Supreme Education Council Tel: 494 1527
Email: outstandingschools@sec.gov.qa

View Outstanding Schools Initiative booklet