The Education Committee of the Qatar Chamber discussed the repercussions of the decision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to close private schools operating from residential buildings or buildings not designated for schools.
His Excellency Mr. Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari, First Vice Chairman of Qatar Chamber and Chairman of the Education Committee at the Chamber, said that the decision to close these schools has raised concerns among investors, owners of private schools, parents, students and employees, as the volume of investments in these schools exceeds millions of riyals and provides educational services to approximately 40 thousand male and female students from various educational stages from the middle and lower social classes, and thousands of workers are employed in them.
Bin Towar pointed out that many of these schools, which operate from villas, have operational licenses from various government institutions, including the municipality, the traffic department, civil defense, and the Ministry of Education. They have also undergone inspections and accreditation processes by local and international agencies, which indicates their compliance with educational standards and requirements, while providing educational services at low fees. Despite the large investments in infrastructure and facilities, these schools have not achieved sufficient financial returns on their investments.
The Chairman of the Education Committee added: “Everyone agrees on the importance of having schools on previously allocated plots of land, but we are now facing a situation that has continued for decades, serving a large segment of citizens and residents, as it provides its services with quality and low prices that suit that segment. The Ministry and the concerned authorities spare no effort in inspection visits, monitoring and evaluation, in addition to international bodies, which prompts us to address this matter by continuing to renew licenses for schools located inside villas as they are, as long as they meet the regulatory and academic conditions and requirements, and continuing to register students to ensure financial stability and communication with the school community and provide reassurance for families, students and employees, while allowing a transitional period for schools that wish to move to buildings designated for schools until the end of 2030 AD, while not allowing the issuance of new licenses inside residential buildings or buildings not designated for schools to avoid these problems in the future.”
Bin Towar stressed that the Education Committee of the Qatar Chamber always welcomes the opportunity to participate in further dialogue and cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and relevant parties to ensure the preservation of achieving the goals of all parties, expressing thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for its cooperation with the Education Committee of the Qatar Chamber as the representative of the private education sector, as the private sector represents the largest percentage in contributing to achieving the vision of the State of Qatar, which is related to the pillar of human development. Education in the State of Qatar is considered one of the most important pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030, thanks to its wise leadership, which always emphasizes the importance of the human element as the main tributary of development, and pays great attention to this, and has demonstrated its commitment to its students and students of the world by taking a conscious decision to invest in education, believing that education is the pillar of social growth.
He pointed out that one of the most important strategic objectives of the Education Committee of the Qatar Chamber is to support and encourage the private education sector to contribute to achieving Qatar Vision 2030, and to contribute effectively to solving problems and removing obstacles in the private education sector, noting that the private education sector has a major role and influence within society, as the private education sector represents 346 schools and kindergartens, 180 private education centers, and 180 nurseries.
