DOHA: An extensive evaluation of private schools is likely to be carried out, based on which they may be entitled to privileges like free government land and zero-interest loans and other incentives.
The evaluation process would likely involve quality of education imparted by a school, its performance, income and expenditure and, more importantly, satisfaction levels of parents and teaching staff.
A senior official from Private Schools’ Affairs Office at the Supreme Education Council (SEC) said a consultancy firm would be asked to carry out the evaluation of all private schools in the country.
Based on the evaluation schools will be allowed to increase their fee structures periodically and will be entitled to land allotment and zero-interest state loans.
Aisha Al Hashmi, from SEC’s Private Schools’ Affairs Office, told a meeting of Qatar Chamber (QC) officials yesterday that the proposed evaluation will be the basis of all future government transactions with private schools.
The QC meeting was that of its Education Committee and on agenda were discussions on issues that were raised by panel members at an earlier meeting with the Minister of Education and Higher Education. The committee urged the government to provide added encouragement to the private sector in the field of education in line with its policy to make private players its active partner in national development.
Briefing the committee and later fielding questions from some of its members, Al Hashmi said all private schools will be told what would be the basis of the proposed evaluation. About government land allotment in Doha, she said land was scarce in the city so it was being allotted only in outside areas. Land allotment was done in collaboration with the Urban Planning Department of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.
The QC’s education committee members said that preferential treatment meted out to model private schools should be done away with as they are allotted by the state free two to three buildings as well as given away zero-interest loans and the facility of education vouchers. “All private schools must be treated equally,” said the committee.
The state provides education vouchers (pays the fees for all Qatari students enrolled in a private school) to only those schools that have National Accreditation, said Al Hashmi. And accreditation is a fair and transparent system.The Peninsula
