Tribune News Network
Doha
Doha Academy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Al Faleh Educational Holding Q.P.S.C, has been admitted to NEASC membership and recognised as a fully accredited group of schools with immediate effect. This follows the school’s success in gaining Qatar National Schools Accreditation (QNSA) earlier in 2022.
"Al Faleh Educational Holding Q.P.S.C. is delighted to announce that its Doha Academy Al Waab and Salwa branches have been awarded full and immediate international accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC),” Al Faleh Holding said in a press statement. NEASC is an independent, voluntary, non-profit membership organisation that works with public, independent, and international schools in over 85 countries worldwide to assess, support, and promote high quality education for all students through accreditation, professional assistance, and pursuit of best practices.
Gaining full international accreditation follows an intensive 14-month period at Doha Academy, including substantial investment and staff training. NEASC’s "Foundation Standards” cover all aspects of a school’s operational and strategic activities. Equal evaluative focus is placed during the visits on learning and teaching, governance and leadership, health and safety, finance and resources, and ethical practices.
Following the inspections from mid to late October 2022, Doha Academy has been informed by the Association that its schools not only meet all of NEASC’s five exacting "Foundation Standards” but are also eligible to follow its "ACE Learning” protocol. NEASC provides a differentiated accreditation pathway, with ACE Learning being the highest and only recommended to schools NEASC believe have the capacity, commitment and competency to develop even further. Doha Academy Al Waab and Salwa are now preparing hard for the first stage of the ACE Learning pathway. As part of this preparation, which culminates in follow-up external evaluations in early 2024, the schools are especially focused on language support and technology use in the classroom.
Upon receiving the news of the accreditation, Doha Academy’s Principal Edward Cooper said: "This success is testament to our team’s ability to accurately self-evaluate, plan and implement change, and to work collaboratively to achieve goals in a relatively short timeframe.”
Cooper added: "Our achievement with QNSA demonstrated that our schools were already functioning at a high level. However, there are aspects of international accreditation that are not necessarily expectations or requirements of national accreditation. Therefore, the schools have come a long way over the last 14 months. We’ve hit the ground running in January in preparation for the follow-up visits in just over 12 months’ time.
"What’s particularly effective about working with NEASC is the conversation about the ‘impact of our input’ – in other words, they expect us to think about the desired impact of or our work and investment, and how these link to our Vision, Mission and understanding of what high-quality learning in our context looks like. It’s also great for Doha Academy that our work with NEASC is regularly scheduled and reviewed, so our ongoing development is validated and benefits more members of our community more often.”
Dr. Sheikha Aisha Faleh Al-Thani, Founder and Chairperson of Al Faleh Educational Holding, stated: "The accreditation marks a culmination of the team’s hard work. We aim to help learners reach their academic goals and equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil their future endeavours with God’s will.”
Sheikha Anwar Al Thani, CEO of Al Faleh Educational Holding, expressed her gratitude to everyone that made this achievement possible. She also unveiled news of two more schools to be added to the group very soon that carry the quality associated with Al Faleh Educational Holding. She also promised expansion of the Holding higher education arm.