At least 72 semi-independent schools will join the ranks of the country’s Independent Schools, along with their operators, from the 2010-11 academic year to begin in September. The Supreme Education Council (SEC) is expected to announce the names of the schools and their operators today. This is the seventh and perhaps the last ‘Cohort of Independent Schools’ to be announced by the SEC. With today’s announcement, the total number of Independent Schools in the country would become 209. Hundreds of teachers and students are eager to experience the new schooling system. The Independent Schools, launched by the SEC as part of its ongoing reforms in the school education sector, has been widely acclaimed by several international education experts and agencies for its internationally benchmarked curriculum standards, and highly equipped infrastructure. This year, at least 720 teachers and school administrators from the former Ministry of Education have undergone training in four different tracks to equip themselves to meet the professional skills demanded by Independent Schools. Conducted by eminent trainers in the field of education, the training focused on familiarising them with Independent Schools’ system, workflow tools to assess students, effective use of educational resources and the use of technology in the teaching and learning process. The SEC began the ‘operator selection’ process in June 2009 when it invited Qatari nationals with expertise, efficiency and motivation to apply for a license to manage Independent Schools. The Education Institute also invited experienced leaders of semi-independent schools to apply for the operation of Cohort of 7 Independent Schools. At least 120 professionals from Independent and semi-independent schools underwent a professional development programme implemented by the reputable Australian Foundation “Cognition”. The two-month long training focused on the way to become an Independent School operator, implementation of school plans in keeping with SEC’s accepted quality standards and learning, and managing the administrative and teaching staff of the school. Shortlisted operators were engaged in an additional training programme focusing on preparing and drafting educational plans for their schools. The plans were then submitted to the SEC for approval and become an integral part of the mutual agreement between the operator and SEC. Meanwhile, the SEC’s Shared Services Directorate asked the operators of all Independent Schools to make sure that all the administrative posts in the schools are held by Qataris. The Directorate also asked the schools not to renew the contract of non-Qatari employees if Qataris are available for the posts held by non-Qataris. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=April2010&file=Local_News2010042524640.xml

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