(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
As the new academic year in most community schools is round the corner, the troubles of a large number of parents have not ended yet due to a chronic shortage of seats.
Like the Indian community, Egyptian and Sudanese communities are also facing shortage of seats in schools for their children.
'My daughter is studying in primary classes at the DPS-MIS and I thought we could easily get admission there for my second child through the sibling admission system. However, when I approached the school this year, they declined saying they did not have any seats, said Ameena, a mother of a DPS-MIS student.
'Recently, the school said they had a few seats open and gave us time to log on for online application. However, at the given time, the server was down and in less than two hours the slots were filled. Luckily, I had secured a seat for the child in another school, she added.
A K Srivastva, Principal, Birla Public School, said that it was true that the Indian community was facing problems in getting admission for their children due to a shortage of vacancies but he hoped the issue would be resolved in a year. 'Six new Indian schools are being launched this year. It will help address the chronic shortage, along with other measures which are underway, he added.
'I have been running from pillar to post to secure a kindergarten admission for my child. I visited almost all Indian schools and tried through the management members but all in vain. Now I am forced to put my child in an international school, which is the only but an expensive option, said Sanaa, an Indian expatriate.
Some parents and school officials are even suggesting two shifts to tackle the problem. The owner of an Indian school, seeking not to be named, said that the immediate solution to the existing problem was the launch of two shifts. Though some more schools are set to open this year, it will not solve the problem as the population of Indian expats has increased manifold in the past few years.
'This step can bring great relief to distressed parents who are unable to get admissions for their children. Every school has a specific seats limit which they cannot violate and therefore the introduction of two shifts will help both the parents and the schools, said Deepak Kumar, an Indian expatriate.
According to the recently released Ministry of Education and Higher Education data, Qatar has 304 Independent schools and 541 private schools (split into different educational levels), including kindergartens, which together have enrolled 296,323 students.
Statistical data for the 2016-2017 academic year shows that International schools top the list of private schools (422, including 161 kindergartens) with a total of 144,449 students. Community schools came second (73, including 16 KGs) which together have 28,483 students.
On the other hand, the Pakistani community is not facing shortage of seats. Riyaz Ahmed Bakali, Director, The Next Generation (TNG) School, said: "Pakistan International School can accommodate around 3,500 students while there are other private schools like TNG, the Bright Future and Pak Shama for the Pakistani community.
Bakali said that admissions in Pakistani schools offering Pakistani curriculum would continue until May as their academic session 2017-18 would start next month (April). 'Admissions for international curriculum would continue till October as their sessions would start from September, he added.
Due to the availability of seats, other communities, particularly from Arabic speaking countries like Egypt and Sudan, are approaching Pakistani schools for admissions.
'We do not have any community schools in Qatar and so most of us are forced to send our children either to International or other community schools. Those who get education support from their companies always opt for international schools, or go for British curriculum offered by Sri Lankan or Pakistani schools here. Some opt for other curriculum like the Indian or Pakistani, said Abeo, a Nigerian expat.
Adeel Akbar from Pak Shama School told The Peninsula that the school has received around 1,500 applications out of which a large number came from non-Pakistani communities.
'But definitely, we cannot accommodate all the aspirants as the authorities have allocated specific intake-strength to schools which they cannot violate, he said, adding that admissions in Pak Shama School will be closed in April.
For the Sri Lankan community, the education available here is not sufficient for their children to get an entry into universities in their home country.
'One of the biggest issues that we have with the education system here is that the curriculum is not approved by the Sri Lankan government. Even though the schools here say they offer a universal syllabus and children can get admission anywhere in the world, the university admission in Sri Lanka is not possible. So we have to take our children back home in early classes itself, or else we have to look for private universities in Sri Lanka or go aboard for education, a Sri Lankan national said.
Meanwhile, changes being brought by India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from this academic year are leaving schools and parents confused. In January, the board had announced the restoration of the Class 10 Board exams from the new academic year that will begin in April this year. Also, according to the latest information, marks of Class 9 would not be included in the Class 10 grade sheet-cum-certificate of performance. Schools were also directed to submit the CCE result data online to the Board.
'The new system will be replacing the CCE (Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation) with a remodeled assessment structure. The current CCE tests students throughout the year, reducing the burden of studies. From next year, students have to focus on one final annual exam. Each paper will be of 100 marks - 80 for the exam and 20 for internal assessments. For students, mostly in classes 10 and 9, this academic year, the move will be a huge burden, said Mohammed, an Indian expatriate.
'The CBSE had announced a two-semester system from Class 6 onwards with half-yearly and annual examinations. However, we were told the three term system would be reinstated and we had changes in the lesson plan accordingly. Now again there is a grapevine saying that the two-semester system will be followed, said a teacher at an Indian school.
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