DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) has urged parents to expedite the registration of their new and transferring students during the period specified by the ministry, starting from April 21until the beginning of the new academic year 2024 - 2025.
Speaking to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director of School and Student Affairs Department at MoEHE, Maryam Ali Al Nesef Al Boainain, revealed that the expected number of new students to be registered this year is approximately 16,584 boys and girls. She also stated that the number of students in public schools currently stands at 137,070 boys and girls from kindergarten to the 12th grade for the academic year 2023 - 2024.
She said that the number of government schools in all stages is 214 schools for boys and girls, including 89 for elementary, 46 for preparatory, 49 for secondary, 26 combined schools (more than one educational level in the same school), and 4 mixed schools, in addition to 64 kindergarten schools.
Regarding integration schools, she said that their number reaches 93 schools, and the number of integrated students in all stages amounts to 3,446 boys and girls.
Al Boainain emphasized the importance of updating all parents' data and documents regarding the registration and transfer of their children to any stage of the educational process, whether the student is new or transferring from a private to a government school. This includes phone numbers, electricity bills, and updating health files from now on, as there is full coordination with the Primary Health Care Corporation in this regard.
She also stressed the importance for parents to choose a school within their geographical area for their child, and in case of registration, communication will be made with the parents through a message sent via the ministry's system dedicated to this purpose. She pointed out that this year the focus was on the geographical area, aiming for the student to be close to his school and have access to transportation to avoid long commuting times and overcrowding in specific schools.
Director of School and Student Affairs Department at MoEHE emphasized the importance of the geographical area of the school to be suitable and close to the student's place of residence, providing them with a conducive environment for academic achievement. She mentioned that the reservation period for a seat at the school is only three working days, and in case the required documents for registration are not completed during this period, the reservation will be canceled.
Al Boainain outlined the stages of registering and transferring students, starts with early electronic registration, with priority in this regard is given to Qataris, the children of Qataris, and the children of GCC citizens to register in the same school where their siblings study, during the period from April 21 to June 20. Parents can register their child as a new student in the first grade or kindergarten or any other stage based on available vacancies.
She explained that early registration for all nationalities will start on May 26 and continue until June 20 through the "Maarif" portal for public services on the ministry's website, which includes several links serving parents, such as the "Where is my school?" link, the registration link and uploading the required documents. Parents can find out the location of their child's school based on the electricity number, without the need to go to the ministry or the school for personal registration.
Regarding the nursery stage (age 3 years before kindergarten), Maryam Al Boainain noted that registration for it will be through the same electronic link mentioned on the same date, in 4 schools, including two elementary and two model schools.
Registration for technical and specialized schools will be done by going directly to the schools with the required conditions for registration during the period from April 28 to June 20.
As for students with special needs, Al Boainain emphasized that government schools provide support services for students with disabilities. Parents who have children with disabilities and have not completed the health file are required to transfer them to "Roua" center to assess the student's level, facilitating the registration process later on. She clarified that this type of schools provides advanced and developed services according to the type of disability, and the ministry has high-level integration centers, while planning to open new integration schools in the future at the state level.In her statement to QNA, Al Boainain, affirmed that the ministry provides all the necessary resources to facilitate the student registration process. She mentioned that three consecutive workshops have been held to train and qualify specialized teams on the registration process and its updates.
Regarding the transfer of students from one stage to another, such as from kindergarten to first grade or from fourth grade in model schools to fifth and sixth grades in primary school for boys, or from the ninth grade to the tenth grade, Al Boainain stated that this process started in March by government schools. This year, there is a focus on the geographical location of the school to avoid overcrowding in classrooms, ensure security and safety measures in schools, and thus distribute students correctly among schools offering the same curriculum, fostering Qatari identity, Islamic values, academic aspects, and students' mental health, along with providing advanced educational resources, in-school and extracurricular activities, and equal participation opportunities in various competitions to mold students into good citizens. The aim is also to accommodate individual differences among students and foster their love for learning through activities.
Concerning kindergarten, Al Boainain noted that each teacher with a bachelor's degree supervises only 12 students, leading to significant awareness and interest from parents in enrolling their children in this stage.
Regarding secondary education, she mentioned that the ministry aims to help students determine their future through academic and counseling guidance, identifying their interests to choose the appropriate specialization. This underscores the importance of positive communication and partnership with parents, aiming not only for academic success but also for developing students' personalities to become responsible citizens prepared for future job markets, confident in themselves, articulate speakers, and prominent leaders regionally and internationally.
Al Boainain mentioned that the ministry monitors valuable services that allow students to interact with teachers, including the process of distributing students appropriately within schools and classrooms, ensuring a high-quality educational environment that is attractive and stimulating for students, and preventing overcrowding in classrooms.
Al Boainain pointed out that approximately 16,584 new students are expected to enroll this year.
She explained that all schools are committed to new registration mechanism. The new addition this time is the automatic transfer of students, as part of the ministry's efforts to improve this service and avoid related problems at the beginning of each new academic year.
Director of School and Student Affairs stressed that there are no exceptions in the registration process. She stated that the ministry only considers the student's age characteristics. If the desired school is not available in the geographical area or has no vacancies, parents are required to accept the alternative school.