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R 121122Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4675
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 DOHA 000559 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD, NEA/ARPI, NEA/PI, ECA/A/E 
 
TAGS: KPAO SCUL KMPI QA
SUBJECT:  FIVE YEARS ON: THE STATUS OF EDUCATION  REFORM  IN 
QATAR 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: In 2001, the government of Qatar embarked on 
an ambitious mission to reform the country's education 
system.  Under the banner of, "Education for a New Era," 
this initiative, led by the Amir's consort, Sheikha Mozah, 
aims to comprehensively reform education from kindergarten 
through college.  The reform effort still faces considerable 
challenges, but has made tangible progress over the last 
five years. End Summary. 
 
The beginning 
------------- 
 
¶2. (U) In Summer 2001, the RAND Corporation was approached 
by Qatar's Sheikha Mozah and asked to examine the country's 
current K-12 schools.  Sheikha Mozah was motivated by 
several concerns, including a belief that the nation's 
school system was not producing high quality outcomes for 
Qatari students in terms of academic achievement, attending 
college, and success in the labor market; and that the 
system was rigid and outdated.  Also, the growing trend of 
Qatari parents choosing to send their children to private 
schools at their own expense indicated that the system 
needed change.  Earlier attempts to reform the public school 
system were successful on a small scale, but there was a 
sense that change was too slow and that a system-wide reform 
was needed. 
 
¶3. (SBU) RAND arrived in October 2001 and spent the first 
school year in diagnosis, finding expected problems such as 
over-rigidity, weak curriculum, lack of accountability, and 
loaded bureaucracy. According to a RAND official, the team 
proposed three solutions to the Amir and Sheikha Mozah: (1) 
attempt to reform the Ministry of Education; (2) complete 
privatization of the education system and (3) establishment 
of a parallel independent school system to co-exist with the 
Ministry of Education system. 
 
¶4. (U) The royal couple opted for the third alternative and 
the reform plan later adopted was based on two main elements 
(A) new government-funded schools that are not operated by 
the Ministry of Education but by other parties such as 
private companies, Qatari institutions or groups of teachers 
and/or parents, with varied pedagogical approaches and 
curricula; and (B) standardized national student tests that 
are aligned with new internationally-comparable curriculum 
standards and are used as one element of a rigorous school 
evaluation system.  In 2002, an Amiri Decree established the 
Supreme Education Council, the new parallel institution 
designing, governing and coordinating the new educational 
policies. 
 
The Supreme Education Council 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The Council, appointed by the Amir, consists of HH 
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Heir Apparent, as 
Chairperson.  His mother, HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al 
Missned, Consort of His Highness the Amir, is Vice- 
Chairperson.  Other members represent the education and 
business sectors of Qatar and most recently, two foreigners, 
a Swede and an Australian, were added.  Members now include 
Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mahmoud, the Minister of 
Education; Sheikha Abdulah Al-Misnad, President, Qatar 
University; Mohammed Saleh Al-Sada, Director of Technology 
at Qatar Petroleum; Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh Al-Thani, 
owner/operator of Doha College (private British school in 
Doha with an excellent reputation); Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad 
bin Jassim Al-Thani, Deputy Manager, Anadarko (also a 
previous Fulbright Scholar, 2004); Sigbrit Franke, head of 
the Swedish National Agency and the first woman to become 
Sweden's University Chancellor; and Paul Greenfield, Senior 
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland 
(Australia). 
 
¶6. (U) The role of the Supreme Education Council is to 
oversee education reform, help it grow, and objectively 
monitor its progress.  The Supreme Education Council is 
responsible for education policy in Qatar (no longer the 
purview of the Ministry of Education).  It is comprised of 
three institutes - the Education Institute, Evaluation 
Institute and the Higher Education Institute.  The Education 
Institute directly oversees the Independent Schools and 
supports them with professional development for teachers and 
a wide range of other resources.  The Evaluation Institute 
develops and conducts periodic assessment of student 
learning and evaluates school performance.  The Higher 
Education Institute advises individuals on opportunities for 
higher education and careers and administers scholarship 
programs.  More information is available on its website: 
www.english.education.gov.qa. 
 
DOHA 00000559  002 OF 007 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) After much turnover, the permanent directors of the 
three institutes were named and each has now been in their 
respective positions for over a year.  All three are U.S. 
alumni and good contacts of the Embassy. 
 
--Sabah Al-Haidoos was appointed Acting Director of the 
Education Institute in September 2004. She previously served 
as Principal of Al-Bayan Educational Complex for Girls (a 
magnet school and the best girls' school in Doha).  Mrs. Al- 
Haidoos has extensive teaching experience and served for 19 
years as a physics and mathematics teacher before being 
promoted to Vice Principal. Mrs. Al-Haidoos earned a B.S. 
degree in Education and Science (1986) from the University 
of Qatar and a diploma in School Management from James 
Madison University in the U.S. 
 
--Adel Al-Sayed was appointed by the Supreme Education 
Council to serve as the Director of the Evaluation Institute 
in early 2003. Prior to his current position, he was the 
Director of the Arab Educational Training Center for Gulf 
States.  He also worked with the Qatar Ministry of Education 
in the areas of policy, evaluation and testing strategy, 
diversification of secondary schools, teacher awards, 
training program design, human resources development, and 
curriculum development for Gulf States.  Mr. Al-Sayed is a 
member of the Qatar Academy Board of Governors, the Qatar 
Sports Academy, and the Board of Directors for the Arab 
Bureau of Education for Gulf States.  He holds a M.Ed. in 
Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment from the University 
of Wisconsin at La Crosse and a Bachelor's degree from the 
University of Qatar. 
 
--Dr. Jehan Al-Meer was appointed Acting Director of the 
SEC's Higher Education Institute in January 2005.  Before 
joining the Institute, she served as an Assistant Professor 
and Head of the Biochemistry Section at the University of 
Qatar. Prior to this, she was President of the Technical 
Consultative Committee for the Supreme Council on Family 
Affairs.  Dr. Al-Meer also spent several years in various 
research and teaching positions in Qatar and the U.K. She 
began her career in 1984 as a chemistry teacher.  Dr. Al- 
Meer holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and a M.S. in 
Biotechnology from the University of London, and a B.S. in 
chemistry/biology from the University of Qatar.  She also 
recently completed a Master of Public Administration from 
Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.  Dr. 
Jehan is also a former Fulbright Scholar. 
 
The Independent Schools 
----------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) At the heart of the education reform initiative are 
autonomous, government-funded schools called "Independent 
Schools."  Currently, more than 30 independent schools offer 
new models for curriculum design, teaching methods and 
collaboration.  Independent schools are intended to ensure 
students acquire the skills they need to build a secure 
future - skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, 
teamwork, creativity, and the ability to use technology and 
communicate effectively. 
 
¶9. (U) The first group of schools ("cohorts") opened in 2004 
- the program's first year - with twelve independent 
schools.  Cohort 2 comprised of 21 schools, opened in 2005. 
It has just been announced that an additional 21 will open 
in 2006, bringing the total to 54 independent schools.  Most 
of these schools are former Ministry of Education schools 
that converted to independent schools.  The idea is to open 
approximately 20 more schools a year from here on out and 
"let the experiment go where it will."  The concept of 
parental choice has been introduced and will largely 
determine the success or failure of the new system.  The 
independent schools are all still single-gender.  The 
concept of co-ed schools has not been ruled out for future 
iterations of independent schools. 
 
School Operators 
---------------- 
 
¶10.  (U) Operators of the independent schools are mostly 
education or business professionals.  The operators of 
independent schools tend to be local businessmen who go into 
partnership with an experienced principal or vice-principal 
who may have been chafing under the old system.  Operators 
must be Qatari citizens. (Note: This is a new rule. 
Previously, three independent schools were owned by non- 
Qatari Arabs but have since been bought out by Qatari's. End 
note.)  The application process for becoming an operator of 
an independent school is rigorous and highly competitive. 
 
DOHA 00000559  003 OF 007 
 
 
This year, the SEC received 167 preliminary applications; 78 
were short-listed to compete in the final phase of the 
evaluation phase and 21 were selected by a panel comprised 
of five international and Qatari experts, in addition to an 
independent reviewer, and a final applications assessment 
committee.  The proposals include a lengthy, thorough 
educational plan that must cover the vision of the school, 
school curricula, teaching methods, student assessment 
plans, student behavior and discipline, student support 
services, leadership, management, employment policies, 
professional development plans, financial accountability and 
external relations.  The short-listed applicants attended a 
series of in-depth training programs to assist them in 
preparing and designing school plans.  Many well-known 
Qatari's have applied to become or are independent school 
operators.  Many Ministry of Education officials are 
operators, such as Dr. Said Al-Hajji, the Vice-Chairman of 
Qatar Foundation. 
 
School governors 
----------------- 
 
¶11. (U) In 2005, all new independent schools were required 
to elect their board of trustees.  These volunteer boards 
theoretically provide an extra layer of oversight, 
accountability and transparency within the schools and 
create a link to the community.  Boards are composed 
primarily of parents but are also open to teachers, 
community members, or those with skills in law, finance or 
other pertinent areas. 
 
School Support Organizations 
---------------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) Autonomy is the guiding principle of this reform and 
operators have the freedom to make their schools a 
reflection of their own vision.  To assist them, each 
operator can elect to have an onsite School Support 
Organization (SSO) advise and assist with school management, 
lesson plans, curriculum standards and professional 
development.  SSO's are in the independent schools during 
their first year only.  Currently contracted SSO's are 
Mosaica Education based in New York, Academy for Educational 
Development (AED) based in Washington DC, New Zealand's 
MultiServe, and Center for British Teachers (CfBT) based in 
Great Britain. 
 
Curriculum 
---------- 
 
¶13. (U) The independent schools all operate under the same 
curriculum guidelines in four core subjects (math, science, 
English and Arabic).  The existing Ministry of Education 
schools do not have to follow the same guidelines, but their 
students are to take the same standardized test the 
independent school students take.  Independent schools are 
free to develop the content of their curriculum in any way 
they choose.  New rigorous curriculum standards are based on 
international benchmarks.  All independent schools emphasize 
learning English.  The schools will teach math and science 
in English and English language studies begin at primary 
school.  The strong emphasis on learning English is one of 
the reasons there is a large demand from Qatari parents to 
enroll their children in independent schools. 
 
Qatarization 
------------ 
 
¶14. (U) Qatarization is a priority for the government in 
Qatar at all levels of society and education is no 
different.  Potential operators must specify in their 
proposal a plan to Qatarize the school's staff.  The SEC has 
set quotas for the percentage of mandatory Qatari teachers 
required in each school, depending on the type of school and 
its year in operation as an independent school.  Primary 
schools and girls' secondary schools have higher quotas, 
since it is easier to find female Qatari teachers, while the 
boys' secondary schools have the lowest quotas.  The SEC 
also expects that as the years progress, more qualified 
Qatari teachers will become available and therefore the 
quotas rise over time. 
 
Professional development for teachers 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶15. (U)  Some GOQ funds were set aside for teacher training 
to equip new teachers, in addition to standard MOE training, 
although there have been complaints that more could have 
been spent.  The Qatar school teacher pool is a mix of 
nationalities.  The women are overwhelmingly Qatari.  One 
 
DOHA 00000559  004 OF 007 
 
 
Embassy contact opined that there is "a vast over-supply" of 
Qatari women who have been trained as teachers. 
Unfortunately, the pedagogical variety needed to make a 
success of a larger system of independent schools is not yet 
in existence - it remains to be seen whether the school 
operators are far-sighted enough to invest in their teachers 
to provide this variety. 
 
¶16. (U) The SEC has taken some steps in order to prepare 
teachers for this reform.  A partnership between the SEC, 
Qatar University and Texas A&M University was formed.  The 
SEC's Teacher Preparation and Certificate Program, a 
training consisting of two phases - intensive English 
language training and teacher preparation training, was 
offered last year, and again this year.  The graduates of 
this program received a diploma from Qatar University and a 
certificate from Texas A&M University.  There is also 
significant emphasis on ongoing professional development at 
each independent school. 
 
Evaluation 
---------- 
 
¶17. (U) According to Qatari officials, all schools are to be 
held accountable through regular, objective assessments. 
These assessments, along with report cards on each school, 
will be shared with the entire nation (i.e., will be 
available online).  The standardized tests are not to be 
used to determine eligibility for grade-to-grade promotion 
or for university entrance, but the results of the tests 
will be used to certify schools; to allow parents to make 
informed choices about schools; to allow schools to judge 
the quality of their teachers, and to monitor the overall 
progress of the system. 
 
¶18. (U) In 2004, the Evaluation Institute administered its 
first nation-wide assessment of all public and private 
Arabic school students in Qatar, using the Qatar 
Comprehensive Educational Assessment (QCEA).  Over 80,000 
students took the standardized exams in four subjects - 
Arabic, English, math and science.  The tests were given to 
students in grades 1-12, except science, which was given to 
students in grades 4-12.  The results showed that most 
students' performance was either approaching the new 
standards or below.  This was expected, given that there 
already was awareness that Qatari schools were struggling 
and the new standards were much higher.  It also showed that 
there was a lot of work to be done to meet the new higher 
standards on which the tests are based.  The results of the 
assessment also showed that the performance level of 
students at the current independent schools (after one year) 
was higher than the students at the traditional MoE schools 
and private Arabic schools.  The results also showed that 
non-Qatari students performed better than Qatari students 
and that girls outperformed boys. 
 
Issues 
------ 
 
¶19. (SBU) There is consensus that education reform was 
needed in Qatar and overall, the public now appears to view 
the idea of independent schools positively.  However, as 
with all things new, the initiative met with some initial 
backlash.  Many of these concerns have dissipated with time 
(for example, Rand has moved out of its hands-on 
implementation phase and is now taking a more hands-off, 
advisory role) but some of the serious concerns remain 
legitimate issues today.  Talk now revolves around concrete 
issues such as: 
 
¶20. (SBU) Is the Supreme Education Council on its way to 
becoming another Ministry of Education?  As the SEC starts 
to exert more control over the independent schools (in 
response to concerns about arbitrary styles of management 
and decisions made on an operator's whim), questions arise 
as to the true autonomy of the independent schools.  One 
operator stated that he is unsure if the SEC even believes 
in "independent" schools, referring to the progression of 
tightening its reins on independent schools. 
 
¶21. (SBU) Who are the operators, what are their motives and 
do they do a good job?  In the first two years, it seemed 
that everyone wanted an independent school and everyone put 
in an application.  Many of these operators had little 
background in education and wanted to get in on the project 
as a money-making venture.  Many operators owned several 
businesses or had other jobs and once they won the bid, they 
hired someone as the director/principal for the school and 
became relatively hands-off managers.  Catching onto this 
trend, the SEC implemented a new rule this year that the 
 
DOHA 00000559  005 OF 007 
 
 
operator of the school had to also serve as the principal. 
It also implemented a rule that no excess funds or surplus 
from the school's budget could be kept by the operator. 
These rules were put in place to emphasize that the schools 
are non-profit organizations and it was also an attempt to 
weed out the operators who were seeking monetary gain. 
However, without any profit to be made and with the 
considerable amount of work that goes into running an 
independent school, many Qatari's no longer see a benefit in 
becoming an operator.  Some operators who entered the system 
under the previous rules have abandoned their schools, 
stating that with no profit and this new rule that they must 
be principals, they cannot and do not want to run the 
school.  A handful of schools have been reverted to Ministry 
schools this year as a result. 
 
¶22. (SBU) Should all schools be independent schools?  There 
is debate about the balance between the number of Ministry 
and independent schools.  Earlier in the reform process, it 
was announced that half the schools would be converted to 
independent schools and the rest would remain MoE schools. 
In March, the SEC formally announced that all MoE schools 
will be converted to independent schools in the next 4-5 
years, and the Ministry would cease to exist.  The Ministry, 
over the past two years, has laid off almost half its staff. 
The older teachers and administrators retired and the others 
were able to find jobs under the new system.  The Ministry 
has already been stripped of its policy-making role, and it 
will continue to dwindle until the last school is converted. 
Parents who want their children to be enrolled in 
independent schools and not be left behind in the old system 
are driving the demand for more independent schools (all of 
them have waiting lists), but many think the initiative is 
still young and the results not concrete enough to make the 
call that all schools should become independent. 
 
¶23. (SBU) Is this an attempt to "Americanize" Arabic 
education?  There are concerns - occasionally voiced 
publicly in op-eds -- that this new system (introduced 
shortly after 9/11) seems to sideline the national ethos and 
cherished values and traditions of Qatar.  Some say that the 
new syllabus dilutes the emphasis on Islamic studies and 
Arabic language.  One newspaper article reported that some 
applicants have been refused licenses to become independent 
school operators because of the suspicious attitudes of the 
SEC committee towards operators whose vision and emphasis 
was on Islamic studies and Arabic.  There have also been 
controversial episodes surrounding independent school 
syllabi - one school taught girls about the human 
reproductive organs and procreation; another used an English 
textbook that contained culturally insensitive pictures 
which some parents found obscene; another textbook included 
chapters on dating.  These episodes did helped fuel the 
notion that reform was a foreign concept, with materials 
from abroad passed onto to local schools without proper 
scrutiny.  (Note: In the past year, however, there have been 
fewer reports of incidences such as those above.  End note.) 
 
¶24. (SBU) Are the teachers ready to carry out this reform? 
As mentioned earlier, Qatar University with Texas A&M 
University launched a new certificate program for teachers. 
Initially, the goal was to enroll 100 Qatari teachers per 
year.  The program was unable to recruit 100 students, even 
after the announcement that the SEC would provide hefty 
monthly stipends.  The program, initially, was co-ed (only a 
handful of male participants) but when women started 
dropping out due to this reason, the male participants were 
asked to leave and the program became "female only" and it 
remains this way today.  In the first year, the program 
graduated approximately 25 teachers.  Many failed out due to 
the tough requirements.  Currently in its second year, the 
program has approximately 20 students.  This program which 
was designed as a condensed, intensive program to quickly 
churn out qualified teachers to teach the new, tougher 
curriculum has not produced as many teachers and as quickly 
as the SEC had hoped. 
 
The Higher Education Institute 
------------------------------ 
 
¶25. (U) The Higher Education Institute in the SEC, which 
administers the state scholarship system and provides an 
advisory service for students on education options in Qatar 
and abroad, will in the future also be the licensing body 
for post-secondary education (trade, vocational schools, 
etc).  Currently, the HEI is working to develop a strategy 
for higher education for Qatar, asking questions like - 
which subjects should be offered in Qatar, which subjects 
better taught abroad?  Part of this initiative is reform of 
Qatar University. 
 
DOHA 00000559  006 OF 007 
 
 
 
A note on Qatar University reform 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶26. (U) Qatar University (QU), the sole public, national 
university in Qatar, with some 8,000 students, is also part 
of the overall education reform effort, although it is less 
controversial and receives less attention. The QU reform 
effort is headed by the dynamic UK-educated Dr. Sheikha 
Abdulah Al-Misnad, a close relative of Sheikha Mozah. 
 
¶27. (U) The key elements of QU reform are (more information 
is available on QU's new website - 
http://www.qu.edu.qa/html/reformplan.html): 
 
-- Under the university reform program, QU became self- 
governing. Previously, it was under the authority of the 
Amir. A governing body of regents has now been established, 
with the power to name and replace the President. 
 
-- QU has become autonomous. Previously, its budget was 
drawn up and administered by the Ministry of Finance and its 
staff members were civil servants. Now it has its own budget 
and personnel system, which it administers itself. 
 
-- Previously, a student entered QU in a set discipline and 
remained in that discipline from day one until the end. Now 
a core curriculum (with a liberal arts overall theme) has 
been established, that all students are required to 
complete. 
 
-- This has led to a significant change in structure, with 
the establishment of the College of Art and Sciences. This 
new college administers the core curriculum and awards 
degrees in its own right and is flanked by a series of 
professional colleges - of law, business, sharia, 
communication, etc. 
 
-- QU has raised its standards for admission and those that 
do not meet the standards attend the Foundation Program - a 
one year bridge program between high school and college. 
 
-- Stricter rules such as attendance, 10-year time limit to 
receive a degree, and shifting of key management personnel 
are also part of the reform. 
 
-- QU plans to pursue accreditation for each college and 
degree program and eventually for the entire university. 
 
Criticism of the GOQ's scholarship program 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶28. Critics continue to question the GOQ's revised 
scholarship program.  Prior to the founding of the Higher 
Education Institute (HEI), any Qatari who passed his/her 
high school exams and gained admission to a university was 
given a scholarship from the government.  Many Qatari's were 
educated at American universities through these generous 
scholarships.  The HEI has since revised this program and 
has established scholarships for selected schools only. 
There are approximately 300 elite schools on this list. Most 
are American (about 70%) or British, with small numbers from 
other European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, 
Korea and Taiwan). If a Qatari student does not gain 
admission to one of these schools, he or she will not 
receive government funding and will have to fund themselves. 
None of the schools on this list are from the Arab world, 
although next year, HEI plans to add some Arab universities 
like the American University of Cairo and American 
University of Beirut. 
 
¶29. (U) This new program has been criticized as being 
unrealistic and out of touch with the current status of 
Qatari education and is expected to prevent many Qatari's 
from receiving an education abroad, since application 
standards for the elite schools on the list are beyond the 
reach of many Qatari students, if not of most. 
 
USG support for K-12 education reform 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶30. (SBU) The Public Affairs Section closely monitors 
progress of the reform effort and when opportunities arise 
for partnership, post has taken active roles.  In 2005, post 
coordinated a voluntary International Visitors (IV) program 
on chartered schools in the U.S, which 7 SEC officials 
attended.  Post has also arranged numerous smaller-scale 
training for independent schools using Fulbright scholars in 
country, the Regional English Language Officer, English 
Language Fellows and other American experts in Doha.  We 
 
DOHA 00000559  007 OF 007 
 
 
have also sent several teachers and administrators from 
independent schools to educational conferences.  The Student 
Advisor has also worked closely with the Higher Education 
Institute in setting up their student advising centers; she 
has trained them and even helped them recruit qualified 
guidance counselors.  We have also made several large book 
donations to the SEC and independent schools.  MEPI grants 
have also provided teacher-training and professional 
development for staff. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶31. (U) There is existing tension between the open, forward- 
looking vision of Qatar's ruling couple and the generally 
conservative, inwardly-focused nature of Qatari society in 
many areas of Qatari life, and the field of education is no 
exception. Nevertheless, and despite the formidable 
challenges that still remain, it seems certain that 
education reform is here to stay. We will continue to 
monitor and report on the matter. 
 
UNTERMEYER