I would like to know about any Qatari state/private schools

Yes.  The government schools have many many expats as well due to the large numbers of expats living in Qatar.  I believe there are criteria for entry as an expat.  One is fluency in Arabic I think.  The Ministry of Education would be able to advise.

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www.kiva.org

Marhaba Magazine.   It has pictures/addresses/phone numbers & info on all the expat schools in Qatar.   

One other question for our Qatari QL friends:

Are non-qatari children even allowed to attend Qatari schools?

I agree with you Pm. In the long term it is essential to place the children in a good school or teach them ourselves.

  They are 2 and 4 respectfully and I believe this is a good time for them to immerse themselves in arabic culture and language for a few short years.   Many private schools require continious after school support by parents during the early years. It is then my plan to place them in a school which will challange them academically.  In preperation of University,my husband and I have plans to eventually relocate back to London. It is our greatest hope that during the precious years of youth we will travel to learn from scholars and improve our Arabic speakings skills and grammar.

Thank you kindly PM for you input and expertise in this area. As we now have a better picture of what we could potentially be getting ourselves into and better able to base an educational map for our childrens future.

Maryum : Umm Hasan bint Abdullah Alshabrawishi

PM nailed that one. She's absolutely right.  

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

http://www.english.education.gov.qa/

PRINCESS HABIBAH

Take your children to almaha private school they teach in English and they teach Quran.

or try the Qatari state schools  they are good schools.

Also Doha College.

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Judging from comments in QL, it would appear that most English expats want to send their children to Compass, DESS and Park House.

mmm It looks like alot to think about concerning schooling for my daughter. And I need to come up with a plan!

 We only plan to stay in Qatar for just over a year. However, I like to think of all my options in the chance that we stay indefinately or longer than expected.  And I must admit that some of the comments by other parents have put me off attending a private western school.  It seems so many people have complaints about these schools. And, upon enquiry, we have found out that we are unable to opt out of the music lessons within the curriculum of these schools.

My daughter currently attends a public school-nursery which as opposed to state school is a full day. She is currently learning french, phonics, maths, good manners and english speaking skills. As well as having lessons in dance, tumble and music(we opted out of this by providing private singing lessons and the duff) as part of the curriculum.  And while it has a boarding school, I feel she is too young to be away from home at this time.

Like they have in Saudi, are there any equivalant Qatari private schools that compare at all to the learning enviroments at the public schools in the UK? And also have an emphasis on Quran, tajweed, and Islam?

p.s. and oryx do you think it matters during the first few years of her life if she attends a Qatari school (state or private) if we supplement with tutorials by some of the western teachers?

You are correct Oryx, and it is not good enough.  The teaching standard should be MUCH higher.  Really, if the medium is english then the teacher should be a properly qualified native English speaker IMHO.

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Love is the answer...

Sadly a lot of Qataris are educated by people without the proper qualifications or experience for their subject.

its a scandal.....

I would say in Qatar that Qataris over all can receive the lowest education standards.....

what I have been told by a number of my qatari friends....:-) 

"if you don't like the heat... get out of the kitchen... but stop trying to fan the flames before you leave... it will burn you on the a** as you go through the doorway...." ME

visit www.qatarpets.org

Some locals send their children to private English schools but they are in the minority.  For many it is too expensive to fund. Many locals send their children to private Arabic schools but the majority of locals are in the Qatari school system.  There are two types of government schools.  The Arabic medium schools and the new Independent schools where many subjects are taught in English.   Disappointingly, the Independent schools hire mainly non-native English teachers to teach in English.

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Love is the answer...

There are lots of choices here when it comes to schools.

Public Arabic Schools,

Private Arabic Schools,

Private Schools - Teach English, Maths, Science through English - rest of the subjects in Arabic

Private Schools - Teach everything through English. French etc

I suggest in order for you to find the best school for your Kids contact the Ministry for Private Education,  and The Supreme Council for Education. They should be able to advise you on a few schools that suit your needs.

Good Luck - if its a Private School English medium or Arabic you need to act very quickly as most have huge waiting lists or have already closed their llists.

kids to private english schools..... apparently the qatari public schools leave a lot to be desired.... and thats out of the mouths of Qataris themselves...

"if you don't like the heat... get out of the kitchen... but stop trying to fan the flames before you leave... it will burn you on the a** as you go through the doorway...." ME

visit www.qatarpets.org

"."

Dont recommend

PH..i think hippo is suggesting you dont send them to a school with just arabic...a schoolhich focuses on both is important as like you said kids have an ability to learn both at a young age...

Hippo,

Thats kind of like asking why chinese people would want to teach the children mandarin at home and school and should instead prefer english. Anyone who has ever studied manderin would understand that it is an extremely difficult langugae (more so than arabic) and one whose mastery should start at an early age. Why not combine mastery of arabic, urdu, french, spanish and english at an early age as well. As opposed to just focusing on one language?

I currently teach my daughter Arabic, french at home while going to an english school and living in an english country. So I can only see something positive by sending her to an Arabic school while in an Arab country. Especially as we do not plan to be there forever. We speak RP english in the house, arabic with family and friends and urdu with hubbies family.

And english is usually the language in most universities around the world particularly in medicine.  

For us, Arabic is the most important language because it is the language of the Quran and Islamic text. And in order to become scholars in Islam one must be in a very advanced level of arabic. Not even most native speakers can understand the classical works written by some old and new scholars because of the Arabic which is used.

I've actually heard that Qatari schools are going to be changing to English as the first language. This was told to my husband by some Qatari high school boys that he coaches.

From what I have heard Qatar public schools leave A LOT to be desired. Qatar Academy sound like a good option for you. It's a nice place. Trying to get my kid in there now. They have a nice website if you want to check out. 

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

English is the language of the Internet, Science, Technology and business. Why would you want your children not to be fluent in what is clearly the most important world language? This is what most Qatari parents have said to me!

I love the fact that there are different cultures and different languages (my wife is Russian), but we are talking about your children's futures, surely? Why not make sure that they can read and write fluently in English? Then they can learn Arabic later, as a hobby.

Why would that not be suitable for any english speaking children. the best time to learn a new language is before the age of 7. Also my children are 1/4 arab and do understand very simple arabic.

Hey,

Well the thing is Qatari state schools are in arabic, so I dont think they are suitable for your kids. Qatar university is the only institution in english.

It's always the small things that make big differences.