FORCED ENHANCEMENT OF SCHOOL TIMINGS IN DOHA
I would like to bring the following few lines to the kind notice of all Doha-based education institutions, Supreme council of Education and Qatari government functionaries who control as well as run the education-related system in Doha, Qatar.
i. That, with effect from 15 April 2012, the School timings of Pakistan Education Centre (PEC), Abu Hamour, Doha (Tel.no.0094-44683343) has forcibly enhanced till 02.00 pm instead of 01.00 pm.
ii. That, normally students (including my children) wake up in early morning (at 0430 am) for School preparations and left the home around 0520 a.m. via School bus to attend the School in time. They come back home around 02.30 pm via School bus.
iii. That, after new timings, students should come back to home around 03.30 pm via School bus. It means they are engaged with School activities/preparations from 04.30 am to 03.30 pm (total 11 hours), this is too much for the children and must exhaust them as well as their learning power/capabilities.
iv. That, I am sure, being a human, respected teacher who already engaged throughout the day (07.00 am to 01.00 pm) and not happy with this decision, may not be given due attention to their students especially during this forcibly enhanced time and this will also obstruct their teaching performance. Finally, they will start misbehaved with their students in terms of giving punishment, physical punishments etc on even a little mistake of students including chatting with each other etc. etc. This is already a routine behavior of few PEC teachers and will probably convert to others after enhancement of school time.
v. That, I talked to the PEC School administration for reviewing the time schedule but they rudely refused by saying that ‘it decided by their superiors’.
2. I don’t know WHO decide / look after the School-related policy, timings, syllabus and other matters in Doha but sorry to say that this stupid time enhancing policy is not in the best interest of our children/students in terms of modern education techniques adopted by West as well as Qatari Education Department / Ministry under the supreme command of our best Sheikha Moza.
3. Keeping in view of above genuine ground realities, I humbly requested to all the respected education-related Qatari Ministry/Department, foreigners and anchor persons who monitor the education system in Qatar, to please look into the matter and do something in the best interest of PEC students at the earliest possible.
prepares for school and have to be by the street at 6:30Am for their service to pick them up to school.
They finish at 3:30PM, and arrived home 4:00PM...everyday 5 days a week.
But the hours spent in school doesnt mean their in the clasroom the whole time. Of course there's their morning break, lunch break and afternoon break in between their classes. They got PE, the Workshop, and other curricular activities that doesnt confine them to the 4 corners of the clasroom.
This may sound old, but back in the days, we walk a kilometer to school, starts at 7:00AM...classes ends at 5:00PM and walk back home.
Now I'm working. I start work at 8AM, finish at 6:00PM...only difference is...I dont have to walk :D
Even a professor is totally exhausted after giving a 90 minute lecture! (Experiments prove that).
In my country children go to school from 8 to 12. Research has shown that they are capable of learning efficiently for a maximum of three hours. So, the rest of the time must be recess, games, and socializing.
In my country, the children starts school classes at 7:00AM or 7:30AM and finish around 3:00 - 4:00PM
That is from Mondays to Fridays.
me as a parent, if longer hours means my kids would have the opportunity to learn more at the same cost of the tuition fees. I'm for it.
From what I understood, its the travel time to and from school PLUS the early waking up of the kids are the reason for the complaint.
My apologies if anyone find my comment inappropriate.
You should talk to the other parents and get them together. Build a concenses.
As a work around, find an accomodation near to the school that would save 5 hours of commuate for morning and evening. As i said its a work around not a permanent solution.
I think the concerned parents should jointly record thier protest against this decision in School, Embassy and Supreme Education Council.
all this activity also done in pakistan as well schools having affilation with fedral board.they all increased the time instructed by federal board.
I hope this is not including my school. You never know though, I could go in on Sunday and the SEC could have decided this over the weekend!
I understood this was to do with staggering the finishing times with Park House school next door - to help with the traffic