Qatar’s Ministry of Education anticipates 16,584 new students for the upcoming academic year, urging parents to ensure timely registration while introducing e-tools for smoother enrollment processes.

Schools in Qatar are expected to welcome approximately 16,584 new students in the upcoming academic year in government schools, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) has said.

The MoEHE has urged families not to delay in registering their children to schools.

In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Maryam Ali Al Nesef Al Boainain, the Director of the School and Student Affairs Department at the MoEHE, emphasised the importance of ensuring that all necessary data, such as contact details for children’s guardians and up-to-date medical information, was readily available to expedite the school registration or transfer processes.

She added that the window of registration for children to enrol at a school was three days.

If documents necessary to finalise the child’s registration are not submitted, the reservation will be cancelled and the child risks losing their place.

Al Boainain also explained that parents may enrol their children to start in a new institution at any stage of the child’s academic career – however, entry will depend on the available spaces.

Priority is also granted to Qatari pupils, the children of Qatari nationals, the children of Gulf Cooperation Council Citizens and children whose siblings are enrolled in the same school.

Starting from April 21, parents within the priority group can register their children as new students in schools.

The early registration period for all nationalities, including those not in the priority group, begins on May 26.

The registration deadline for all students, regardless of nationality or priority status, is June 20.

E-tools for smoother enrolment

The MoEHE has also implemented structures aimed at easing the process of school enrollment for the nation’s parents.

The Ministry’s Maarif app features 15 services accessible by the click of a few buttons. There is an electronic registration system as well as an additional portal for services related to registering or transferring pupils within government schools. Here, parents can also upload the necessary documents needed to complete their child’s registration.

During the app’s launch, Mona Salem Al-Fadhli, the Director of the Information Systems Department at MOEHE, said that the app was developed in alignment with the Ministry’s automation initiative.

Maarif also features the Where is my school? service which allows parents to instantly view the schools within their catchment area.

QNA reports that the MoEHE aims to reduce classroom overcrowding and achieve a balanced distribution of students across the nation’s schools. For Al Boainain, this will bolster the quality of education Qatar’s children receive.

The number of government schools in Qatar across all education levels has reached 214 schools.

The Qatari Planning and Statistics Authority‘s latest figures also reveal the eradication of illiteracy among young citizens aged between 15 and 24 years old, with a mere 0.8% illiteracy rate among non-Qatari youth.