2006: YEAR IN REVIEW

The year 2006 has been a year of change, with the growth in independent schools being matched - and possibly exceeded - by innovative and technological changes in education.

Technology is a crucial link in many of the support systems improving education. Sometimes misunderstood, technology is more than a resource, more than machines that produce facts and figures. While people may rely on computers, an innovative approach to technology is dependent on their vision. In 2006 people with vision at the Supreme Education Council’s three institutes - Education, Evaluation and Higher Education - were inspired to use the best resources to produce new innovations supporting education. These projects and developments are part of the dynamic approach to education that is keeping the reform process alive.

Independent schools have been gaining the technology that enables teachers and students to turn personal visions into innovative projects, providing real benchmarks for Qatar’s place in a global economy.

Transparency - a reform priority - was evidenced in 2006 by successful public discussions titled: “Let us Communicate for a Brighter Future.”

The Education Institute has, among other projects, been implementing one of the reform’s main goals in a pilot trial aimed at making education available to all students including those with individual needs or learning difficulties. About 14,500 Qatari students participated in international studies (PISA and PIRLS) organised as one of the Evaluation Institute’s projects. The Higher Education Institute ensures that Qatar’s scholarships are available for only the world’s best universities.

New independent schools
In May, the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani issued law no. 11 of 2006 pertaining to independent schools. This new law gave the Supreme Education Council the authority to issue licenses to individuals who wished to establish educational institutions as non-profit organizations.

Another major milestone for Education for a New Era was marked in September 2006 when 13 new independent schools opened their doors. This third group (known as Cohort 3) brings the total number of independent schools to 46.

Enhancing Learning with e-Education
New technology is a resource that is now supporting the curriculum-driven and student-centred learning environments that characterise independent schools. The Supreme Education Council (SEC) has partnered with the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) to create a technology-based framework in independent schools that enhances, supports and accelerates the education reform initiative.

As part of this framework, 12 schools will participate in Knowledge Net, a pilot-project enabling teachers to use two learning management systems - Microsoft Learning Gateway and Blackboard. The Knowledge-Net is one of the programs of the overall e-Education drive that manages students’ learning and provides a platform for a three-way communication between students, teachers and parents.

Nearly 200 seventh-grade students from one independent school received portable computers, - Tablet PCs - which enable students to work independently and more creatively in class and at home. The portable computers enable the students to increase their level of understanding by interacting with their teachers in both environments.

Experts Share Knowledge
Curriculum Standards Conference
More than 450 people, including school operators, curriculum experts, independent and Ministry of Education teachers, and international experts participated in the second annual symposium “Learning First.” The symposium gave attendees the opportunity to exchange experiences and engage in interactive discussions on teaching and learning techniques. It also covered curriculum development, helping learning providers use the curriculum as a tool to encourage and motivate students. A conference highlight proved to be the “Innovation in Teaching” workshops hosted by subject specialists in English, Mathematics, Science and Arabic. Students and teachers from several schools presented successful innovative ways of working with the curriculum and other best practices.

Symposium for Fostering Creativity in Students
The SEC held its second annual symposium “Developing Creativity in Students” on March 15. The symposium featured discussions between leading local and international experts on ways to promote creativity among students and examined the latest research on creative learning and thinking. It also modelled ways for teachers and parents to use this information to encourage innovative thinking in classrooms and at home.

Pilot Program Addresses Individual Needs
Education reform in Qatar has prioritised the enhancement of learning for all students, including learning for students with individual needs. To meet this quest, in 2006 the Individual Needs pilot programme was launched in four independent schools. The programme demonstrates Qatar’s commitment to individual students and aims to provide specially tailored teaching and learning plans to ensure children with learning difficulties and other special needs meet the SEC curriculum standards.

Training the Trainers
A Master Trainers programme organised by the Professional Development Office at the Education Institute helped participants acquire basic skills of facilitation and improve their knowledge of teaching and learning practices. The participants - comprising of independent schoolteachers and co-ordinators and Ministry of Education teachers and supervisors - also learned how to be more effective coaches in curriculum standards workshops.

Communicating for a Brighter Future
Transparency is a key aspect in Qatar’s education initiative. In keeping with this priority the public was encouraged to present opinions and ideas at a series of meetings called “Let Us Communicate For a Brighter Future.” These one-on-one discussions with independent schoolteachers, students and parents focused on various aspects of Education For a new Era including textbooks, Islamic studies, parental involvement, community engagement and school buses.

“Education for a New Era” New Magazine Launched
The SEC’s Office of Communications launched a quarterly magazine Education for a New Era distributed to all teachers and personnel in independent schools. A vehicle for communicating with key stakeholders in the reform, the magazine tackles key issues arising in the reform and it features interviews with prominent educators and members of the society. The magazine is also available online.

New Reports Track Student Progress
In March, the SEC’s Evaluation Institute issued School Report Cards (SRC) for all 277 independent, Ministry of Education and private Arabic schools. The SRCs have been providing a range of information to parents. The information includes: student academic performance as assessed by student results on the QCEA (Qatar Comprehensive Educational Assessment) tests; the degree of parent and student satisfaction with the school; the teaching approaches used; and the school’s facilities and activities. SRCs also reflect the homework expected of students and parents’ views on its worth, the frequency, nature and quality of parent-school communications and interactions, and background information about students and teachers. A guide in Arabic and English, providing explanations on how to read and interpret the material, is presented with each SRC.

Students Participate in International Surveys
Qatar participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), two of the most important international surveys of student achievement. About 7,500 fifteen-year-old students participated in the PISA programme while another 7,000 fourth grade students completed the PIRLS assessments administered in March. Results will be announced in late 2007.

Trial on Trends
In March, a pilot trial of the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) was carried out on fourth and eighth graders in all Ministry of Education, private Arabic, and independent schools.

Developing Item Writing Skills
In June, teachers in Qatari schools took part in an item-writing workshop in mathematics and science conducted by CTB McGraw-Hill. The workshop developed a critical mass of item writers and now allows for the future transfer of Qatar Comprehensive Educational Assessment (QCEA) test building to Qatar.

Enhancing School Accountability
Many initiatives have been undertaken to improve the educational accountability of independent schools for delivering effective education outcomes to Qatar’s parents, community, and leadership. An overarching framework for school evaluation is the Qatar School Evaluation (QSE) which has been developed and is in the initial stages of implementation. Four evaluations have been conducted to date. A key component of the QSE is a “triennial review” - three-yearly evaluations - of independent schools which operate under a series of protocols based on international standard practices.

Providing Access to Educational Data
The Evaluation Institute provides a sound and comprehensive foundation for Qatar’s school education to be effectively monitored, analyzed and researched. This is accomplished by undertaking a series of data collections from a range of key sources including principals, administrators, teachers, students and parents. The data is stored securely and made accessible, when appropriate, to a range of users and uses, mainly in relation to describing, comparing and tracking of Qatar’s school education undertakings and achievements.

Expanding Awareness about Qatar’s Educational
Diversity The Evaluation Institute issued a document called “Schools and Schooling in Qatar 2004-2005.” The document provides information on diverse aspects of schooling. It has been designed to allow educators in Qatar - and internationally - to become better informed about the nature and range of educational provisions and achievements in Qatar’s schools. The publication is published in both Arabic and English.

Innovation in Post-Secondary Education
Qatar continues to place education and training among the nation’s top priorities with post-secondary education and training a critical part of Qatar’s Education for a New Era initiative. The Higher Education Institute has made significant changes and improvements to the way it conducts its activities including guidance, pre-entry testing, institutional development, scholarship lists and record keeping.

• Advising and Career Development
  As a means of providing the most effective guidance, the institute has established a modern Advising and Career Development Centre with the aim of offering the best career guidance in the Middle East. Currently the Centre offers individual advice and guidance to all potential students interested in studying locally or outside Qatar. This includes those eligible to receive scholarships, privately funded students and those sponsored by employers. Counselling related to study and occupational choices is also available at the Centre which has a wide range of helpful resources. Students have access to electronic and hard copy information on a very large number of institutions and countries.

  More recently, the institute created a new centre that offers students the opportunity to undertake pre-entry tests such as the SAT and TOEFL, which are pre-requisites for many universities particularly in the United States of America. The first SAT tests were conducted in late 2006; other tests will be offered as they become available.

• Institutional Development - Access to the Best Institutions and Universities
  Qataris must be able to access and graduate from the best available institutions and universities in the world. The principal task for institutional development has involved creating definitive lists of the 300 universities and institutions around the world where Qatari students will be eligible for either Emiri or National Scholarships. Emiri scholarships provide access and support for Qatari students at the 50 international universities and higher education institutions, judged the most prestigious in the world. National Scholarships are available for Qatari students to provide support at 250 other international universities and higher education institutions, judged among the world’s best. Further work aims to establish Qatar’s scholarship programmes as the best in the world.

  During the past year, the Institutional Standards Office has developed approaches to ranking universities and higher education institutions in the Arab world. This information will assist Qatari students to find the best regional bases to study for masters or doctoral degrees in Arabic, the Shari’a and/or law. Work on compiling a general list of all Arab universities is continuing.

• Scholarships Now Target Best Learning
  The Scholarship Office administers six scholarship programmes for more than 1,500 Qataris in 43 countries. These include the Emiri Scholarships and National Scholarships which enable students to be supported in under-graduate and post-graduate studies at the best 300 higher education institutions in the world. The institute also administers Employee Scholarships and Diploma Scholarships which are linked to more immediate labour market outcomes; assisting Qatar to overcome skill shortages.

  One major improvement carried out by the institute in its service delivery, involved the massive task of converting 1,500 paper records into electronic format. Replacing the out-dated paper-filing system with electronic records allows the institute to monitor the progress and success of individual scholarship recipients. It also gives policy-makers the opportunity to analyse the efficiency and effectiveness of Qatar’s investment on higher education scholarships.