(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Schools Evaluation Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education will start assessing private kindergartens (KGs) in Qatar from this academic year, a top official has said.
Omar Abdelaziz al-Naama, director of the department, said kindergartens in the country will be informed shortly to get ready for the evaluation, which is expected to lead to classification of the centres on the basis of the quality of services they provide to children.
He made the observation during an annual meeting organised by the ministry with the owners and directors of private schools and kindergartens in the country for the 2016-17 school year. All relevant administrative and academic issues were discussed.
During the meeting, Hamad al-Ghali, director of the Private Schools Affairs Department at the ministry, said private schools are permitted to admit and register adult students for evening classes or home study. The fees for these should be equivalent to regular classes or lower, it was observed.
Noting that the meeting aimed to inform the directors of private schools and kindergartens on updates and priorities for the new academic year, he stressed that no fees should be collected before the due time for them. Besides, no fees should be introduced without the prior approval of the ministry, he said.
Through a presentation, he highlighted that parents should be informed about school fees and additional charges, and these should be posted in a 'documented and clear” manner. They should be also told about the fees approved by the ministry and the ways of paying them before students join a school.
Al-Ghali said all private schools are required to teach three subjects - Arabic for Arab students, with four periods a week, Islamic religious studies for Muslim students, with two lessons a week, and Qatari history, to be taught to all students in a school.
The official informed that the portal for private schools includes all relevant information that parents may require before they decide to admit their children in a particular school. This includes the location of the school, classes available, details regarding the administration, curriculum and contacts, a schedule indicating the school fees for each class, and the status of the school regarding academic approval.
Further, he noted that schools cannot register a student without a valid ID number and should take into consideration provisions in the guidebook in case a student transfers from one education system to another. Private schools should also update their database regarding registration of new students and results of examinations. Besides, they should include information about students under the educational coupon system into the database, in addition to details of teachers in these schools.
He concluded his presentation with a review of the ministry";s future projects, including the classification of private schools into three categories based on approved standards, having a guidebook for student discipline in private schools and approval of the executive regulations regarding Law No 23 for 2015 regulating private schools.
Al-Naama, meanwhile, explained the tasks and duties of his department and how it works, and the ways of getting information on academic accreditation for schools through the ministry";s website. He said a workshop would be held at the ministry on September 29 in this regard.
The official asked private schools to prepare regular questionnaires for both parents and students to measure the degree of their satisfaction with the schools"; performance.