Qatar’s Supreme Education Council (SEC) has announced plans to fill some 900 teaching vacancies in existing independent schools and openings at newly built schools across the country.
In a statement released today, the SEC’s Director of Human Resources Ibrahim Rajab Al-Kuwari said more than 36,000 people have applied for the jobs, which would involve teaching different scientific and literary disciplines.
The move comes at a time when Qatar’s government-funded secondary schools are struggling with a lack of experienced educators, having problems with unruly students and experiencing some of the lowest standardized test scores in the world.
The schools follow an Arabic-language curriculum, and comprise mainly of Qatari and Arab expat students.
Hiring criteria
About 7,000 of those applying for the new teaching positions are from Qatar. Al-Kuwari said most of these candidates had already been interviewed, and hiring should proceed before the 2014-2015 school year begins.
According to the official, all teachers will need to be interviewed and take written tests as part of the qualification process.
The selection criteria will also favor educators from certain cultural backgrounds, the statement said, adding that a selection committee will travel to the following countries to vet candidates:
- Saudi Arabia;
- Egypt;
- Jordan;
- Morocco; and
- Tunisia.
Some 1,160 Palestinian teachers will also be interviewed in Egypt and Jordan.
Qatari teachers will also be sought after. Due to a shortage of local educators, exceptions may be made to hire Qatari teachers with less experience, the statement said.
Other efforts are also underway to improve the quality of education at the nation’s independent schools. In March for example, Qatar said it was working to help bridge the gap between the public and private schools here, through the newly launched Teach for Qatar program.
Selected recent college graduates and young working professionals from various backgrounds will enroll in the program to learn how to be educators. Those who qualify are expected to be placed as full-time teachers in various independent schools in Qatar for two years.
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