DOHA: Everyone, including students, parents, teaching staff and partners in the educational process, is anticipating the start of the new academic year 2024-2025 on September 1, amid confidence and optimism that it will be, like its predecessors, a year of goodness and blessings, full of effort, academic achievement and excellence, and obtaining the highest grades to reach distinguished outputs, capable of competing in the labour market or entering the most prestigious universities locally or internationally, after the Ministry of Education and Higher Education completed all arrangements and requirements for the start of the new academic year.
Before the students started their attendance, the administrative and teaching bodies began their work on Sunday to make the necessary preparations, receive the students, distribute school timetables, books, stationery, and student lists to the classes, and implement school systems, policies, and regulations from the first day of school, with a serious commitment to improving the academic achievement of the students as a strategic goal of the ministry.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) Director of the Schools and Students Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher EducationMaryam Ali Al Nusf Al Buainain confirmed that the ministry is ready to receivestudents after completing all preparations for the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, with its continuous efforts to provide a high-quality educational environment by developing, improving and supporting it with all the basic elements, including educational cadres, infrastructure, and educational resources, and in coordination with the relevant authorities to ensure that all preparations are completed before the start of the new academic year.
Al Buainain noted that more than 131,000 male and female students will head to their school seats in 215 schools and 64 government kindergartens, including 70 integration schools, in addition to seven schools from the Al-Hidaya series for people with disabilities, and stressed that the ministry is fully prepared to receive them.
She explained that the educational system also includes specialised schools that provide specialized technical and vocational education, which contributes to providing Qatari society with reliable competencies in the development process witnessed by Qatar.
The director of the Schools and Students Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced the resumption of the registration process in government schools and kindergartens through the 'Maaref' portal for public services on the ministry’s website, calling on all parents to benefit from this electronic service to register their children and complete all required documents.
In her interview with QNA, Al Buainain pointed out that within the framework of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's efforts to enhance the quality of students' lives and well-being, the ministry is working to launch several projects and initiatives aimed at refining and developing students' cognitive, cultural and social skills, and arming them with 21st-century skills to succeed in their academic and professional lives. It also seeks to enhance the partnership between parents to achieve an educational environment characterized by support and cooperation between the school and the family, which ensures comprehensive and sustainable development for students.
The arrangements for the new academic year include several axes, initiatives, developments in curricula, and quotas for academic subjects that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced will be implemented starting from the academic year 2024-2025, in line with the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.
The announcement of these developments came within the framework of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to achieve a balance between academic achievements and the development of students’ personal, social and psychological capabilities.
The developments cover all educational levels, from kindergarten to high school, with a focus on 21st-century skills, such as digital competence, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking, in addition to academic skills, which contribute to developing students’ skills and applying them in their daily lives, keeping pace with the best global practices in the field of education, and promoting students’ physical and psychological health.
The new curricula include amending some aspects of the educational stages. In the kindergarten stage, free reading has been allocated within the 'fun meeting' classes to enhance the love of reading among children at an early age, in addition to increasing the period of sports activity.
At the primary level, language and technical skills will be enhanced and students will be supported with life skills that develop their motivation to learn, while at the preparatory level, the focus will be on reading and writing lessons in Arabic and English, with the inclusion of topics that meet students’ interests, develop their skills and provide an interactive educational experience within a package of directed life skills that include home economics for girls and life management for boys.
As for the secondary stage, the graduation project was included to enhance students’ research and creative skills, in addition to including hours for volunteer work, to enhance the learning experience and develop a sense of social responsibility, in addition to life skills that include financial culture and family culture, while the application of volunteer work will be gradually implemented over the coming years, starting from the ninth level until graduation from secondary school.
Starting from the next academic year, in the preparatory stage, teaching hours will increase on Wednesdays to be equal to the rest of the week, so that school hours will continue until 1.30pm, except Thursdays, which end at 12.40 pm, allowing additional time to develop students’ skills and stimulate their creativity while keeping pace with the aspirations of the State of Qatar to develop its educational system and enhance its quality.
In secondary school, school hours are until 1.30pm throughout the week to enhance the academic aspects and practical skills of students to prepare them for success in practical life and prepare them for the university stage.
Regarding the developments in the evaluation system, the content of the mid-term exam will not be repeated in the end-of-term exam, for grades one to eleven, with the aim of achieving balance and making the learning journey renewed, more focused and effective. The developments in the curricula and the shares of the study subjects stem from the Ministry’s commitment to providing education that suits the needs of its students and enables them to acquire the skills and values that qualify them to face the challenges of the future, based on the fact that developing education is of utmost importance for the future of Qatar, while seeking through these developments to achieve an ideal balance between the academic, skill-based, social and psychological aspects of students according to their needs.
These developments come as part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills, prepare them for the requirements of universities and the labour market, and enhance their ability to face future challenges, to ensure high-quality education that meets students’ educational needs in various fields.
The ministry is currently organising, as part of its preparations for the start of the new academic year, specifically during the period from August 18 to 31, a back-to-school campaign, under the slogan 'With Knowledge We Build Qatar' in cooperation with Mowasalat 'Karwa' and Msheireb Properties, to remind and emphasize the importance of moral and psychological preparation for studying, and to motivate students to attend school regularly from the first day with all seriousness and vitality, through many scientific, educational, interactive activities, awareness workshops and purposeful sports.
The back-to-school campaign aims to engage children and students in various educational and recreational activities and prepare them psychologically and mentally for the start of the new school year. The campaign also contributes to reducing feelings of fear and anxiety among new students, especially in the early childhood stage, especially since they need support, care and encouragement.
The preparations and arrangements made by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for the start of the new academic year included preparing the school environment, ensuring the capacity of school classes, providing transportation and maintenance operations, in addition to completing food and school cafeteria tenders, and preparing follow-up plans related to health, security and safety aspects in schools, including evacuation and safety procedures in emergencies and others.
The preparations also included filling vacancies by attracting and appointing many teachers according to high standards, in terms of academic qualifications and practical experience, including graduates of the 'Tamooh' programme implemented by the ministry in cooperation with the College of Education at Qatar University, noting that the academic year 2024-2025 will witness the opening of several new specialized and specialized schools, in addition to holding many workshops and related introductory, awareness and educational meetings.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has provided distinguished educational opportunities for Qatari students within the government scholarship plan for the academic year 2024-2025, calling on those who have succeeded in high school and other targeted groups to benefit from the new opportunities and improvements available within the developed government scholarship plan for the academic year 2024-2025, which includes three main programmes: the Amiri Scholarship Program, the Internal Scholarship, and the External Scholarship, all of which aim to meet their needs at various academic levels and enhance their educational opportunities in various specializations inside and outside the State of Qatar.
In a recent interview with QNA, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Dr Hareb Mohammed Al Jabri expected that the number of scholarship seats within the new government scholarship plan for the academic year 2024-2025 would reach 1,500 seats, compared to 700 seats last year.
He attributed this to the increase in the number of educational tracks from 3 to 8 tracks in order to meet all the needs of the Qatari labour market in the public and private sector
Preparations for the new academic year are being made in cooperation and coordination between the Ministries of Education and Higher Education and the Interior, ensuring the safety and security of students and the school environment throughout the academic year, and the smooth flow of traffic using a group of local roads and traffic diversions.
Preparations for the start of the new school year extended to include libraries, which provided various types of stationery, bags and school supplies of different types and brands, while parents took the initiative to prepare school uniforms and buy their children's needs in preparation for a successful and successful start to the 2024-2025 school year.
These early preparations confirm the great interest the state gives to its educational and pedagogical system, which has achieved remarkable accomplishments and received wide acclaim locally and internationally. This in turn confirms that all policies related to education, schools and curricula are primarily aimed at the interest of the student, as he is the focus of the educational process. This calls for cooperation between all parties to the educational process in order to provide all means for the success and excellence of students and to enhance the attractive learning environment in public and private schools.
It also confirms that education will remain the first investment for Qatar, as it is an investment in people, it benefits the country in all fields, and it is the main important incubator for building the nation in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
