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Ailyn Agonia
DOHA
As child well-being is among the top priorities during public health crisis, Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education (PUE) has reiterated the importance of a strong community in creating resilient educational environments.
According to AlJawhara Al Thani, head of Education and Community Programmes at Qatar Foundation’s PUE, the institution’s journey with the pandemic was predicated on the reaffirmation of a core belief that students need to feel safe and supported in order to learn.
She said this is what underpinned the establishment of the Child Protection and Safeguarding initiative almost four years ago.
In March of 2018, the Formal Child Protection Policy was implemented.
The policy states “the values, principles and expectations for safeguarding in QF school’s is based on the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and guidance provided by the International Task Force for Child Protection” (PUE Child Protection Policy, 2018)”.
QF was one of the key entities in the region to mandate and enforce Child Protection practices.
AlJawhara said, “What began with the establishment of policies, procedures and training to support staff and students with child protection concerns has now evolved to exploring more proactive ways of dealing with overall social and emotional wellbeing of both staff and students.
“This includes everything from anti-bullying training, self-harm awareness training and teaching mechanisms to cope with anxiety and building space within the curriculum to discuss issues that students may be facing. PUE has also been working with other schools to help build awareness and capacity through formal and informal conversation, trainings and sharing resources.”
She also pointed out that one of the first undertakings when schools transitioned to remote learning was to create a guideline for remote learning that would keep students and staff safe and mitigate possible risks of cyber bullying or other issues that could emerge when learning is virtual. That also included ensuring that students knew that the resources that they have access to during school are still available online.
Students and parents can reach out to teachers and counsellors for advice and support online.
Child Protection Teams and counsellors within schools are also aware of the most vulnerable members of their communities and put in extra effort in this time of increasing anxiety and disruption to check in and make sure those students feel supported.
As the World Health Organization reported that there has been a 10 percent to 50 percent increase in calls to domestic violence helplines in some countries around the world, the QF official underlined that while they do not have a record of the exact statistics for Qatar, resources such as Sidra’s Child Protection Advocacy Programm and their helpline have become extremely important resources for teachers and parents who have concerns about their students.
“As we pass the one-year mark of the beginning of lockdown and social isolation in many parts of the world, we are only beginning to see the effects on behaviour and social and emotional development and learning the ways we can work to mitigate any long-term effects. At Pre-University Education, we are lucky to have had solid practices and exceptionally capable Child Protection Officer and counsellors because we went into the pandemic with the tools in place to support each other,” AlJawhara said.
Every QF PUE school had an appointed Child Protection Officer (CPO) and a deputy CPO who manage child protection investigations.
In addition, PUE has a central Safeguarding Lead to support the school’s CPOs. Each year, staff and teachers are trained at the beginning of the school year to recognise signs and characteristics of abuse. A refresher training is provided during the school year to maintain focus on the safety of the students.
“A strong community allows us to support our most vulnerable members by creating both the space and the opportunities for students and staff to vocalise what they are going through. It is also important to take the time to acknowledge the reality that it is not easy to be at home and wear multiple hats. Our students are not just students at home. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, caregivers and sometimes teachers in their own right,” AlJawhara said.
She added, “Similarly, our teachers did not wear one hat when they were home. The pandemic opened our eyes to the fact that we are also more to each other than colleagues or students and teachers; we are confidants, cheerleaders and friends. It is important to create the space to celebrate that sense of community and other achievements, both academic and non-academic in whatever way we can. While we have no way of knowing what lies ahead, we will continue to work to strengthen our community and build resilience while always keeping safety at the heart of what we do.”
DOHA
As child well-being is among the top priorities during public health crisis, Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education (PUE) has reiterated the importance of a strong community in creating resilient educational environments.
According to AlJawhara Al Thani, head of Education and Community Programmes at Qatar Foundation’s PUE, the institution’s journey with the pandemic was predicated on the reaffirmation of a core belief that students need to feel safe and supported in order to learn.
She said this is what underpinned the establishment of the Child Protection and Safeguarding initiative almost four years ago.
In March of 2018, the Formal Child Protection Policy was implemented.
The policy states “the values, principles and expectations for safeguarding in QF school’s is based on the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and guidance provided by the International Task Force for Child Protection” (PUE Child Protection Policy, 2018)”.
QF was one of the key entities in the region to mandate and enforce Child Protection practices.
AlJawhara said, “What began with the establishment of policies, procedures and training to support staff and students with child protection concerns has now evolved to exploring more proactive ways of dealing with overall social and emotional wellbeing of both staff and students.
“This includes everything from anti-bullying training, self-harm awareness training and teaching mechanisms to cope with anxiety and building space within the curriculum to discuss issues that students may be facing. PUE has also been working with other schools to help build awareness and capacity through formal and informal conversation, trainings and sharing resources.”
She also pointed out that one of the first undertakings when schools transitioned to remote learning was to create a guideline for remote learning that would keep students and staff safe and mitigate possible risks of cyber bullying or other issues that could emerge when learning is virtual. That also included ensuring that students knew that the resources that they have access to during school are still available online.
Students and parents can reach out to teachers and counsellors for advice and support online.
Child Protection Teams and counsellors within schools are also aware of the most vulnerable members of their communities and put in extra effort in this time of increasing anxiety and disruption to check in and make sure those students feel supported.
As the World Health Organization reported that there has been a 10 percent to 50 percent increase in calls to domestic violence helplines in some countries around the world, the QF official underlined that while they do not have a record of the exact statistics for Qatar, resources such as Sidra’s Child Protection Advocacy Programm and their helpline have become extremely important resources for teachers and parents who have concerns about their students.
“As we pass the one-year mark of the beginning of lockdown and social isolation in many parts of the world, we are only beginning to see the effects on behaviour and social and emotional development and learning the ways we can work to mitigate any long-term effects. At Pre-University Education, we are lucky to have had solid practices and exceptionally capable Child Protection Officer and counsellors because we went into the pandemic with the tools in place to support each other,” AlJawhara said.
Every QF PUE school had an appointed Child Protection Officer (CPO) and a deputy CPO who manage child protection investigations.
In addition, PUE has a central Safeguarding Lead to support the school’s CPOs. Each year, staff and teachers are trained at the beginning of the school year to recognise signs and characteristics of abuse. A refresher training is provided during the school year to maintain focus on the safety of the students.
“A strong community allows us to support our most vulnerable members by creating both the space and the opportunities for students and staff to vocalise what they are going through. It is also important to take the time to acknowledge the reality that it is not easy to be at home and wear multiple hats. Our students are not just students at home. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, caregivers and sometimes teachers in their own right,” AlJawhara said.
She added, “Similarly, our teachers did not wear one hat when they were home. The pandemic opened our eyes to the fact that we are also more to each other than colleagues or students and teachers; we are confidants, cheerleaders and friends. It is important to create the space to celebrate that sense of community and other achievements, both academic and non-academic in whatever way we can. While we have no way of knowing what lies ahead, we will continue to work to strengthen our community and build resilience while always keeping safety at the heart of what we do.”
