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Maintaining its legacy of setting high benchmarks, Pakistan International School Qatar (PISQ), formerly known as Pakistan Education Centre (PEC), has added one more feather to its cap by achieving yet another milestone by starting the most sought-after Cambridge International Stream to meet the needs of contemporary academic regime and stay at par with the global academic requirements with an aim to serve the community in the best way possible.
Established over three decades ago, the institution has been providing excellent educational facilities to boys and girls upto intermediate level since its inception. Housed in 75000 square metres of land in Mesaimeer area, PISQ is the largest Pakistani community school and is affiliated to the Islamabad-based Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE). With a large number of international students seeking admission into the institution every year, the school management has been successful in changing the general perception that the institute only caters to the educational needs of the Pakistani community. The latest development the community has witnessed is the commencement of International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) classes from October 20. In an interview, PISQ Principal Nargis Raza Otho spoke in detail about the Cambridge International Stream and other developmental programmes in pipeline for the further growth of the community institution. Excerpts.
Q: How many rooms have been constructed for the IGCSE classes?
AcTypeface:> The new IGCSE Block is housed in a state-of-the-art building with 11 fully equipped classrooms, one lecture hall and one computer laboratory.
Will you be offering both ‘O Level’ and ‘A Level’ classes?
We have been given permission to offer both. However, at the moment we are only offering O level classes. Insha Allah, we will expand in the near future.
How many students have been admitted for the IGCSE classes, so far?
We have admitted about 60 students and are expecting to achieve our max capacity for this year ie 80 students.
Have you recruited new faculty for the IGCSE classes?
Yes, we have hired the new staff for all the subjects from Pakistan. The subjects include Mathematics, English, Physics, Economics, Business Studies, Accounting, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Studies. All the teachers are subject specialists having more than 5 years of experience in teaching IGCSE classes at the renowned institutions of Pakistan.
What will be the fee structure for the IGCSE classes? Will it be at par with other institutions in the country or less?
Being a community school we always believe in providing quality education at affordable rates to our students, therefore, our fee structure for the IGCSE classes will be less than other institutions in the country.
What was the role of Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation in the construction of the Cambridge Block?
Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation played the most important and major role by not only constructing this state-of-the-art building worth QR 7 million but also equipping it with latest classroom accessories and furniture worth QR 2 million. I am very grateful to them for being kind and generous. It is only because of them that today our dream of starting IGCSE classes has become a reality.
Where is the new building located and how long did the project take to be complete?
The new building is located inside the school campus besides the Senior Girls Wing. It took about one year and six months to complete the project.
A large number of non-Pakistani students are seeking admission into PISQ. What is the reason behind increased interest of other nationalities seeking admissions into PISQ?
Every parent wants the best education for their child and as I mentioned earlier we are committed to providing quality education to our students. We keep improving our teaching techniques and introducing new methodologies as well as a modern approach towards learning of our students. Therefore, we have always been the top choice of other nationalities.
The institution has witnessed considerable growth after you took charge as a principal. What are other developmental plans in the pipeline to further upgrade the existing facilities of the institution?
I took over as a Principal with a vision to take this school to such a height where the students get the best learning environment and equal opportunity to grow, learn and excel. I am happy that our students are excelling and bringing laurels to the school in every academic and extracurricular activities. We plan to hold The MUN conference in our school and also would like to host Qatar Debate sessions in our campus. We have introduced in-house training for our teachers on quarterly basis. We have also introduced informative lectures for the students.
What are the major issues or challenges confronting the school?
Our biggest challenge is the increased number of students seeking admissions every year. We cannot accommodate all of them due to shortage of space. Every year in spite of taking admissions to our full capacity, we have a long list of students waiting to get a seat in our school.
Established over three decades ago, the institution has been providing excellent educational facilities to boys and girls upto intermediate level since its inception. Housed in 75000 square metres of land in Mesaimeer area, PISQ is the largest Pakistani community school and is affiliated to the Islamabad-based Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE). With a large number of international students seeking admission into the institution every year, the school management has been successful in changing the general perception that the institute only caters to the educational needs of the Pakistani community. The latest development the community has witnessed is the commencement of International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) classes from October 20. In an interview, PISQ Principal Nargis Raza Otho spoke in detail about the Cambridge International Stream and other developmental programmes in pipeline for the further growth of the community institution. Excerpts.
Q: How many rooms have been constructed for the IGCSE classes?
AcTypeface:> The new IGCSE Block is housed in a state-of-the-art building with 11 fully equipped classrooms, one lecture hall and one computer laboratory.
Will you be offering both ‘O Level’ and ‘A Level’ classes?
We have been given permission to offer both. However, at the moment we are only offering O level classes. Insha Allah, we will expand in the near future.
How many students have been admitted for the IGCSE classes, so far?
We have admitted about 60 students and are expecting to achieve our max capacity for this year ie 80 students.
Have you recruited new faculty for the IGCSE classes?
Yes, we have hired the new staff for all the subjects from Pakistan. The subjects include Mathematics, English, Physics, Economics, Business Studies, Accounting, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Studies. All the teachers are subject specialists having more than 5 years of experience in teaching IGCSE classes at the renowned institutions of Pakistan.
What will be the fee structure for the IGCSE classes? Will it be at par with other institutions in the country or less?
Being a community school we always believe in providing quality education at affordable rates to our students, therefore, our fee structure for the IGCSE classes will be less than other institutions in the country.
What was the role of Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation in the construction of the Cambridge Block?
Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation played the most important and major role by not only constructing this state-of-the-art building worth QR 7 million but also equipping it with latest classroom accessories and furniture worth QR 2 million. I am very grateful to them for being kind and generous. It is only because of them that today our dream of starting IGCSE classes has become a reality.
Where is the new building located and how long did the project take to be complete?
The new building is located inside the school campus besides the Senior Girls Wing. It took about one year and six months to complete the project.
A large number of non-Pakistani students are seeking admission into PISQ. What is the reason behind increased interest of other nationalities seeking admissions into PISQ?
Every parent wants the best education for their child and as I mentioned earlier we are committed to providing quality education to our students. We keep improving our teaching techniques and introducing new methodologies as well as a modern approach towards learning of our students. Therefore, we have always been the top choice of other nationalities.
The institution has witnessed considerable growth after you took charge as a principal. What are other developmental plans in the pipeline to further upgrade the existing facilities of the institution?
I took over as a Principal with a vision to take this school to such a height where the students get the best learning environment and equal opportunity to grow, learn and excel. I am happy that our students are excelling and bringing laurels to the school in every academic and extracurricular activities. We plan to hold The MUN conference in our school and also would like to host Qatar Debate sessions in our campus. We have introduced in-house training for our teachers on quarterly basis. We have also introduced informative lectures for the students.
What are the major issues or challenges confronting the school?
Our biggest challenge is the increased number of students seeking admissions every year. We cannot accommodate all of them due to shortage of space. Every year in spite of taking admissions to our full capacity, we have a long list of students waiting to get a seat in our school.
