DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education said that the number of Qatari students who move from private Arab and foreign schools to government schools, including students from outside the State of Qatar, is increasing, noting that the number reached 5,500 during the academic year 2017-2018.

This confirms the attractiveness of the school environment and the academic climate in the government schools, as well as the interest in studying the Qatari curriculum, especially after setting the general framework of Qatar’s national educational curriculum, revising the curricula and taking advantage of freedom of movement between government and private schools and the educational and upbringing process, QNA reported.

This came in a press release by Director of Students Information Centre at the Ministry Ibrahim Rajab Abdullah Al Kuwari on the occasion of preparing for the new academic year 2018-2019.

He called on the parents of students wishing to transfer their children from private Arab and foreign schools to public schools to refer to the Certificates Attestation and Equivalency Section at the Department of Students Information Centre in the C-Ring road to complete the procedures of equivalence for their children’s certificates in during July and August, and not to wait until September because this will delay the students’ attendance in the government at the beginning of the academic year.

Al Kuwari pointed out that the equivalence of the certificate is a necessary condition for the transfer of any student from a private school to another government school, and usually takes three days.

In this regard, he said that the department sometimes verifies the information and data from the source, which takes some time, stressing the importance of bringing all documents and papers required before the start of the school year to avoid registration’s delay of their children.

The required documents and papers include the original certificates duly authenticated by the private schools in addition to copy attachments with the required proofs according to the form of the request for equivalence of the certificate on the Ministry’s website “www.edu.gov.qa” to be filled and brought to the Certificates Attestation and Equivalency Section, he said.

Director of Students Information Centre at the Ministry Ibrahim Rajab Abdullah Al Kuwari wished everyone a stable academic year with outstanding and qualitative academic achievements which enhance the outputs of the educational and upbringing process.