Preparations by private schools, KGs for new academic year praised

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) * 328 private schools and kindergartens in country offer international curricula for 203,939 students from over 85 different nationalities, and 33% of them are Qatari: official * COVID-19 measures in place as schools reopen       Omar Abdulaziz al-Naama, assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), Private Education Affairs, carried out inspection visits to a number of private schools and kindergartens in the country to mark the start of the new academic year (2021/2022), and reviewed the measures taken to ensure the smooth return of students on the first two days after reopening.
Similarly, Hamad Mohamed al-Ghali, director of the Private School Licensing Department at MoEHE, and Rashid Ahmed al-Ameri, director of the Private Schools Affairs Department, visited other schools and kindergartens on this occasion.
Al-Naama praised all the preparations made by private schools and kindergartens for the new academic year, which include filling vacancies by hiring new employees and teachers, and implementing maintenance and expansion works as well as academic plans and programmes that integrate e-learning into the educational process, the MoEHE said in a press statement yesterday.
He was keen to discuss all relevant aspects of the educational process with teachers and reviewed the progress of the blended learning system as part of the Covid-19 precautionary and preventive measures applicable in the country with a rotational attendance system in place wherein 50% of students will be in the classroom and 50% will attend lessons remotely.
Eventually, he pointed out the ministry and the private schools complement each other and participate together in providing equal and excellent educational opportunities for all students in Qatar. He added that 328 private schools and kindergartens in country offer international curricula for 203,939 students from over 85 different nationalities, and 33% of them are Qatari.
The MoEHE had recently announced its decision to adopt the blended education system for the 2021/2022 academic year, with a rotation-based attendance system in place on campus for government/private schools and kindergartens. While classes will begin in government schools from August 29, private schools and kindergartens will do so according to their academic calendars.
Al-Ghali called on parents to benefit from the electronic services offered by the Private Education Affairs sector, noting that the Private Schools Licensing Department has given priority to creating a database for all private schools and kindergartens, which is available on the MoEHE website.
The portal includes the name of the school or kindergarten concerned, the approved curriculum, annual tuition fees, basic information about the school, vacancies, absorptive capacity, school accreditation and other details.
The data can be found at up of the Covid-19 measures taken in schools, al-Amiri stressed that the Private Education Affairs sector at the MoEHE has implemented many procedures and made due preparations to guarantee the progress of the educational process while maintaining the health and safety of all parties involved. He also stressed that the preventive and precautionary measures have to be followed strictly.
He noted that some private schools started imparting lessons on Tuesday, while other schools will do so from Sunday, along with government schools.
Khalid Ali Massoud al-Saadi, director of the Educational Services Centres Department, said the MoEHE has given licences to 10 new educational and training centres this year, taking the total number of such centres to 148 covering various activities, including administrative training, tuition, language learning, educational training, computer skills, arts and services for those with special needs. He added that the same rules that apply to private schools regarding Covid-19 measures are to be followed at these centres as well.    

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