Randi Haranzo

Ronald Dorn
Arizona State University
19 September 2014
Education Standards in Qatar
Education is a right that all people around the world have but it is only an opportunity for
some, especially when considering higher education. In earlier years the education in Qatar had
some predicaments however just recently there have been reforms that have changed the
standards for education. In this research paper I will explain the problems and how they were
fixed and then I will compare the standards in Qatar with the United Nations Global Education
priorities.
In earlier years the kindergarten through twelfth education system has been controlled by
the Ministry of Education. Their job is to approve all important decisions concerning education
and this is just one issues that did not give primary and secondary schools the independence they
wanted and needed (Brewer et al., 2007). Many schools did not have the power to hire or fire
employees as they saw fit and operated under fixed, inadequate budgets. Another issue I want to
bring to attention is the official textbooks that all students in primary grades learn from, not all
students have similar interests and most students require different teaching methods (Erman,
2007). Brewer (2007) mentions that because of these problems, students [have] lost interest in
pursuing higher education and, as a consequence, they are failing to contribute to Qatar's
economic and social prosperity and are becoming more susceptible to extremist influences. Due
to these existing issues within Qatari primary education, Qatar has had to make changes to the
way that they oversee the many schools throughout the country.
Brewer (2007) states that, newer reforms are just beginning to address problems such as
schools' lack of independence in budget, hiring, and instructional decisions, with hopes of
encouraging more Qatari students to pursue higher education. In 2002, Qatar has made four
different branches that deal with four different areas of education, making it easier to address the
issues within each area. There are now 12 independent schools that offer individualized
education. They can also manage their own budget as well as hire or fire teachers as they see fit
(Erman, 2007). There is now the opportunity for parents to choose the school their children
attend which allows students to get the individualized instruction they might need.
As you can see the standards for education in Qatar have risen over the past decade. The
standards present in this country are parallel with the top three priorities of the United Nation
Global Education First Initiative. The three priorities are to put every child into school, to
improve the quality of learning and to create global citizenship. It is obvious that Qatar is an
educated country that allows all children to attend school. From this paper it is easily perceived
that the quality of learning is being drastically improved since children are now able to choose
the kind of school they receive. Lastly, Qatars Education matches up with the last priority of the
United States Global Education Initiative by improving their primary education they encourage
their students to attend University and from their higher education they can become part of the
global economy and therefore are citizens of the globe.


Bibliography
Brewer, D. J., Augustine, C. H., Zellman, G. L., Ryan, G. W., Goldman, C. A., & Ryan, G.
(2007). Education for a New Era: Design and Implementation of K12 Education
Reform in Qatar. Rand Corporation.
Erman, A. (2007). Think Independent: Qatar's Education Reforms. Harvard International
Review, 28(4), 11.