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Article Series
"Real Voices 2023" No.3 Qatar
2023.3.20  
 
Connecting the World! Teachers' Network News
Real Voices of iEARN Teachers Around the World
The year 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of JEARN established as an official NPO in Japan.
To celebrate this memorial year, J
EARN launched a monthly interview series "Real Voices" to deliver the real voices of iEARN teachers from around the world. Each article introduces school systems of each country and region, daily efforts of teachers and staff, and the development of students for global competence and citizenship.
     

Ebtehal Shaheen

iEARN Teacher

Academic Vice Principal, Fifth Assalam School

 

Ms. Ebtehal Shaheen from Qatar
What school or organization are you working at?
The Fifth Assalam School. It’s a "tuition-free" school funded by EEA (The Education Above All Foundation).
Assalam schools provide an opportunity for those who are unable to pursue their studies for economic reasons and are unable to enroll on government public schools.

How many years of experience do you have as a teacher? What subject do you teach?
Master degree in Education Leadership from Qatar University, with 18+ years of experience in the education sector in Qatar. I am the Academic Vice Principal, and my major is both English and Education Leadership.

How many students are in your class?
Our classrooms vary in number of students from 11 to 30 students in each class according to grade.

What is the compulsory education system in your country? At what age does compulsory education start and end?
6 years of primary education are compulsory. Every Qatari citizen has the right to a public education that is compulsory and free. The number of public schools exceeded 207 plus 68 kindergartens in 2019/2020, serving more than 124,600 Qatari and non-Qatari students.

All public schools in Qatar are committed to teaching basic and integrated curricula; mathematics and science, Arabic and English, Qatari history and Islamic education.
The public school system in Qatar is of 12 years duration, consisting of a 6-year elementary cycle followed by a 3-year secondary cycle and then a 3-year higher cycle. The elementary and preparatory levels focus on basic numeracy and literacy skills. The secondary level of education emphasizes preparing pupils for university education, vocational or technical training, or for entering the labor market.


Directors of EEA and school managers of Fifth Assalam
School observing a primary class

Qatar also offers specialized programs and curricula, such as science, technology and business to name a few. The public sector also provides a variety of specialized educational services for students with special needs as well as gifted and talented students. In addition, Qatar has specialized schools for those with special needs, those with specialized talent and those who are interested in a specialized focus and curriculum. Specialized schools include Qatar Technical School; Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration Studies School for Boys; Religious Institute Preparatory Secondary School for Boys; Qatar Banking Studies & Business Administration School for Girls; and Qatar School of Science and Technology for Boys, a secondary school. All these schools qualify students to move to various higher education options and to the job market after graduation.

Students spend 12 years in public school, divided into several stages. After going through the pre-school or kindergarten stage students move to the primary stage that lasts 6 years. The primary stage includes co-educational schools, boys’ schools and girls’ schools. Second is the preparatory stage that lasts from seventh grade to ninth grade. The student then moves to the secondary stage from the tenth grade to the twelfth grade.
At the secondary school level, students can choose public schools with general education or specialized schools with a range of options that suit the student's interests and academic priorities, such as science and technology and banking.

When does the school year start and end in your country?
It starts on August and ends on June.

How many years of experience do you have in iEARN? What iEARN projects have you done with your students?
Almost two years now, we worked on two projects: “My Identity Your Identity” and “Special Place.”
“My Identity Your Identity” and “Special Place” are the two projects which Fifth Assalam School implemented with students in the iEARN exhibition after 2 months of online training program for the teachers and the Academic Vice Principal.
“My Identity Your Identity” is the second project as the students worked on finding connections between the 21 nationalities enrolled in Fifth Assalam School and the subjects they are studying.
Teachers and students who participated in the iEARN project exhibition
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your school or your students? Were there any major changes?
Following the closure of all public and private schools and universities on March 10, 2020 to control the COVID-19 outbreak, EAA and FiAS (Fifth Assalam School) acted swiftly in designing an effective alternative to the physical classroom, ensuring that all students are able to continue their learning and not fall behind in their studies.
The Fifth Assalam School launched a new online learning platform (https://www.fifth-assalamschool.com/). This platform offers digital and interactive resources prepared by a qualified team of teachers. Students can find many resources on this platform including interactive books, textbooks in PDF format, video, audio and many other digital learning materials that enrich the student’s education. Through this platform, the school aims to boost the learning process of the students by providing explanation in an interesting and interactive way, without the constant need to connect to the internet.
For students who did not have the equipment or access to e-learning, EAA, through its collaborations with the telecommunications networks in Qatar, has provided computers,  laptops and hundreds of broadband devices for Internet access to students who needed them for home-based learning.

Regarding the use of ICT, is One-to-One PC being done in your school? Do your students take those devices home? Do you use them for online classes?
The teaching delivery method that all the school currently approved are both:face to face education and the online education (through the Zoom Application for homeschooling students).
The teachers well prepared their classroom to integrate the students into the face to face education.
During the lessons the teachers are displaying PPT slides, word wall games, dictation on line, spin the wheel, videos, or interactive CD on Whiteboard. As previously mentioned EAA provided computers, tablets, laptops and hundreds of broadband devices for Internet access to students who needed them for home-based learning.

Could you give any messages to teachers in Japan?
We hope to exchange experiences with you for the benefit of supporting our students. 


*****
The iEARN Teacher interviews are part of a series of articles by JEARN entitled "Connecting The World! Teachers Network News" starting with the January 2023 issue in a Japanese monthly magazine for educators, Cresco (Otsuki Shoten Publishers here).



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