More than 62,000 seats vacant in private schools and kindergartens

Doha: The Private Schools Licensing Department of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education revealed that there are more than 62,000 vacant seats in private schools and kindergartens, and more new schools are expected to open in the next academic year once they complete the related procedures.

The registration process for private schools and kindergartens for the academic year 2022-2023, which began on the first of this month will continue until Thursday, October 13 for students inside Qatar, and for students outside the country, the registration will continue till January 2023.

Hamad Mohammed Al Ghali, Director of the Private Schools Licensing Department, called on parents to choose the appropriate school for their children, taking into account the curriculum and tuition fees, pointing out that there are 334 private schools and kindergartens in Qatar that offer 24 diverse educational curricula. It is important to note that the large number of schools and vacancies in them provide parents with a variety of options to select for their children.

Al-Ghali noted that the comprehensive database on schools available on the ministry’s website allows parents and students to search for schools based on location, curriculum, school stage, type of school, or school name. This database offers general information about the school, along with tuition fees, and other data that will help parents in making appropriate decisions in choosing the right school.

You can access this service by visiting the following link: https://www.edu.gov.qa/ar/Pages/PrivateSchoolSearch.aspx

At the end of February, the Private Schools Licensing Department sent a circular to all private schools and kindergartens, instructing them to begin registration on March 1, clarifying that the registration is handled by the school, which receives requests for registration for the new academic year from parents and lists them on the Ministry's electronic system (early registration screen) within a week of acceptance. The school must notify the student's guardian with the approval for the registration no later than one week after his acceptance.

In the circular, the administration stressed not to collect placement fees for kindergarten students. However, for other stages, the placement test fee is collected when the test is taken, provided there is a vacancy. Also, it is not allowed to register student(s) in the system in the event of financial dues (late fees) on the school he/she is transferring from. The school is also not entitled to keep the student on the waiting list for more than a week from the date of the request, then the school should direct him/her to another alternative school. The administration also confirmed in the circular that the school cannot register any student in the event that the school exceeds the planned absorptive capacity intended by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

Vacancies in private schools and kindergartens according to the educational curriculum:

National Standards - 2124
Ethiopian curriculum - 327
Jordanian curriculum - 238
German curriculum - 370
American curriculum - 11955
American curriculum IB - 3502
Iranian curriculum - 313
Pakistani curriculum - 852
British curriculum - 29809
Bangladesh curriculum - 122
Turkish curriculum - 26
Tunisian curriculum - 204
Sudani curriculum - 11
Syrian curriculum - 63
French curriculum - 2209
Palestinian curriculum - 266
Finnish curriculum - 208
Canadian curriculum - 285
Lebanese curriculum - 171
Egyptian curriculum - 55
Indian curriculum - 2787
Japanese curriculum - 232
British American curriculum (SABS) - 51
International Baccalaureate curriculum (IB) - 6500
Total - 62680