Bright Future International School (BFIS) will continue its operations as usual and the earlier decision to close it down has been revoked, after due approval of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar, it was announced by the school’s management.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune, BFIS’ new principal, Ali Zulqarnain, said the reversal of the decision has been made on persistent requests of parents and community members. The school will continue its operations with new vigour and enhanced zeal to serve the international community in Qatar, he added.
Zulqarnain, a proficient and seasoned employee of BFIS since 2000, has replaced Sajid Mansoor, who left earlier this month.
BFIS Chairman Abdur Rehman Al-Meer has confirmed that the school will continue to serve the community with commitment. He expressed confidence that BFIS would excel further under the new principal and his dedicated team.
Zulqarnain hails from Islamabad in Pakistan. He served as the school coordinator and then as vice principal for many years. He holds degrees of Masters in English and Masters in Business Administration. He has completed several teaching courses from Cambridge, London and Pearson, the UK.
Besides being a professional teachers trainer, he is a veteran volunteer for Qatar Olympic Committee as he has been working as Certified Doping Control Manager for the last 17 years. He was part of the team managing Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and several other global tournaments across the world.
Qatar Tribune interviewed him recently. Excerpts:
When will the school start accepting students for the next academic session?
The school is all set to welcome its students for the next academic session on August 29 and admissions for next year are also under way. We would like to thank the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, especially the Private School Office that facilitated and supported the school to overcome its challenges. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Pakistan Embassy and BFIS Parents Committee for their pivotal role in settling the issue amicably.
When was the BFIS established and what are its achievements?
The school was established in 1996. Since its inception, it has been providing excellent educational facilities to the international community with full commitment. It is affiliated to the Islamabad-based Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) and Edexcel London Board offering excellent educational facilities to boys and girls up to intermediate level. The institution has a long track record of producing excellent results in IGCSE, A-Levels and Federal Board examinations. The institution, having more than 1,700 students belonging to 30 nationalities, witnessed tremendous growth under the dynamic leadership of Chairman of Board of Directors Abdur Rehman Al-Meer. The school has 100 teachers and 80 administrative and support staff.
How do you want to develop school and what are the developmental plans to upgrade the existing facilities of the institution?
Our action plans aim to follow the Qatar National Vision 2030. Education is an altogether different concept now. Keeping in view the latest trends in education, we shall develop the school by inculcating modern pedagogical techniques to ensure quality education by introducing scientific management approaches. The institution has introduced strategic planning and total quality management approach in its system to benefit its students. We are upgrading our infrastructure, furniture, library, IT facilities etc. We have acquired a piece of land adjacent to the existing building for the construction of a new academic block so that more students can be accommodated.
How important is interaction of parents with the school management to improve the running of the school?
Education is a triangle between students, teachers and parents. No school can deliver quality education without the support of the parents. Therefore, their feedback and suggestions are of prime importance for our management. We have an active and robust Parents Teachers Association (PTA) which presents reports on all facets of the school in order to incorporate parents’ voice in the school’s functioning. We are going to introduce different committees of the parents that can overview and give valuable feedback on different functional areas of the school.
BFIS is known for producing excellent results in the Federal Board and Edexcel examinations. What are your plans to achieve even better results in the future?
It has been the legacy of this school to produce excellent academic results in internal and external examinations. We have introduced Continuous Professional Development for refinement of teaching skills of our academic staff. A comprehensive plan to support struggling students has been introduced. Additional time and free-of-cost extra coaching will be offered to such students. We are further striving to ensure better results through individualised support to each and every student.
How important are co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in the proper upbringing and grooming of a child?
Students learn and excel more in the competitive environment. BFIS is committed to preparing valuable balanced personalities for the global society equipped with moral, religious values and modern knowledge. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities play a pivotal role in character building and overall grooming of the students. We have added a series of competitive and learning activities in our Yearly Calendar that aim to develop strong inter- and intra-personal skills of our students.
Are there any serious issues when it comes to dealing with children with different backgrounds?
I believe that to recognise diversity is science, to celebrate it is humanity. Variety adds spice to the life. Similarly, it gives diverse colours to our institution. Interaction between students of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds helps them to understand the diversity. It creates more harmony and congruence among them, which enables us to maintain a symphonic and synchronized atmosphere in the school. We believe that every single student is important to us. We do not face any serious challenges while dealing with the students of different nationalities. We implement modern instructive practices in the school with professional approach that enables BFIS to deal with students from different nationalities in a positive manner.
What are the major challenges facing the BFIS?
There have been some financial constraints that hamper our growth plans but we are extremely grateful to the Private School Office of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and esteemed parents of our students who always give their continuous support to overcome any challenge. Along with this, we are also struggling with capacity issues as we receive hundreds of requests for admissions, but due to limited space, we can only accommodate a few students.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune, BFIS’ new principal, Ali Zulqarnain, said the reversal of the decision has been made on persistent requests of parents and community members. The school will continue its operations with new vigour and enhanced zeal to serve the international community in Qatar, he added.
Zulqarnain, a proficient and seasoned employee of BFIS since 2000, has replaced Sajid Mansoor, who left earlier this month.
BFIS Chairman Abdur Rehman Al-Meer has confirmed that the school will continue to serve the community with commitment. He expressed confidence that BFIS would excel further under the new principal and his dedicated team.
Zulqarnain hails from Islamabad in Pakistan. He served as the school coordinator and then as vice principal for many years. He holds degrees of Masters in English and Masters in Business Administration. He has completed several teaching courses from Cambridge, London and Pearson, the UK.
Besides being a professional teachers trainer, he is a veteran volunteer for Qatar Olympic Committee as he has been working as Certified Doping Control Manager for the last 17 years. He was part of the team managing Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and several other global tournaments across the world.
Qatar Tribune interviewed him recently. Excerpts:
When will the school start accepting students for the next academic session?
The school is all set to welcome its students for the next academic session on August 29 and admissions for next year are also under way. We would like to thank the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, especially the Private School Office that facilitated and supported the school to overcome its challenges. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Pakistan Embassy and BFIS Parents Committee for their pivotal role in settling the issue amicably.
When was the BFIS established and what are its achievements?
The school was established in 1996. Since its inception, it has been providing excellent educational facilities to the international community with full commitment. It is affiliated to the Islamabad-based Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) and Edexcel London Board offering excellent educational facilities to boys and girls up to intermediate level. The institution has a long track record of producing excellent results in IGCSE, A-Levels and Federal Board examinations. The institution, having more than 1,700 students belonging to 30 nationalities, witnessed tremendous growth under the dynamic leadership of Chairman of Board of Directors Abdur Rehman Al-Meer. The school has 100 teachers and 80 administrative and support staff.
How do you want to develop school and what are the developmental plans to upgrade the existing facilities of the institution?
Our action plans aim to follow the Qatar National Vision 2030. Education is an altogether different concept now. Keeping in view the latest trends in education, we shall develop the school by inculcating modern pedagogical techniques to ensure quality education by introducing scientific management approaches. The institution has introduced strategic planning and total quality management approach in its system to benefit its students. We are upgrading our infrastructure, furniture, library, IT facilities etc. We have acquired a piece of land adjacent to the existing building for the construction of a new academic block so that more students can be accommodated.
How important is interaction of parents with the school management to improve the running of the school?
Education is a triangle between students, teachers and parents. No school can deliver quality education without the support of the parents. Therefore, their feedback and suggestions are of prime importance for our management. We have an active and robust Parents Teachers Association (PTA) which presents reports on all facets of the school in order to incorporate parents’ voice in the school’s functioning. We are going to introduce different committees of the parents that can overview and give valuable feedback on different functional areas of the school.
BFIS is known for producing excellent results in the Federal Board and Edexcel examinations. What are your plans to achieve even better results in the future?
It has been the legacy of this school to produce excellent academic results in internal and external examinations. We have introduced Continuous Professional Development for refinement of teaching skills of our academic staff. A comprehensive plan to support struggling students has been introduced. Additional time and free-of-cost extra coaching will be offered to such students. We are further striving to ensure better results through individualised support to each and every student.
How important are co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in the proper upbringing and grooming of a child?
Students learn and excel more in the competitive environment. BFIS is committed to preparing valuable balanced personalities for the global society equipped with moral, religious values and modern knowledge. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities play a pivotal role in character building and overall grooming of the students. We have added a series of competitive and learning activities in our Yearly Calendar that aim to develop strong inter- and intra-personal skills of our students.
Are there any serious issues when it comes to dealing with children with different backgrounds?
I believe that to recognise diversity is science, to celebrate it is humanity. Variety adds spice to the life. Similarly, it gives diverse colours to our institution. Interaction between students of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds helps them to understand the diversity. It creates more harmony and congruence among them, which enables us to maintain a symphonic and synchronized atmosphere in the school. We believe that every single student is important to us. We do not face any serious challenges while dealing with the students of different nationalities. We implement modern instructive practices in the school with professional approach that enables BFIS to deal with students from different nationalities in a positive manner.
What are the major challenges facing the BFIS?
There have been some financial constraints that hamper our growth plans but we are extremely grateful to the Private School Office of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and esteemed parents of our students who always give their continuous support to overcome any challenge. Along with this, we are also struggling with capacity issues as we receive hundreds of requests for admissions, but due to limited space, we can only accommodate a few students.