New double shift system to solve admission crisis for Indian students in Qatar
Published: 21 October 2024
Many families who had returned to India due to lack of seats now coming back after the Ministry announcement
Godwin Isaac K | NT
Doha
The decision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar to allow some Indian schools to im-plement a double shift system will solve the problem of shortage of seats in Indian schools comprehensively, sources have said.
In a move aimed at alleviating the admission crisis faced by Indian students in Qatar, several Indian schools following the CBSE curriculum have introduced a double shift system for the 2024-2025 academic year follow-ing the Ministry’s permission.
Schools are now opening admissions for an afternoon batch, offering much-needed relief to large numbers of parents who had struggled to secure seats for their children in Indian schools in Qatar.
The Ministry has granted permission for the second shift under the condition that there are no internal transfers from other Indian schools. The schools starting the second shift are MES Indian School, MES-IS Abu Hamour branch, Shantiniketan Indian School, Ideal Indian School and Doha Modern Indian School.
Each school is allowed to enroll the same number of students for the afternoon shift as in the morning shift.
Speaking to News Trail, Rafeeq Rahim, Principal of Shantiniketan Indian School, expressed optimism about the new initiative, saying: “In fact, many parents had already decided to send their families back to India. When we announced the second shift, we received around 5,000 applications, most from families currently in India.”
Many Indian families, who were previously living in Qatar, had returned to India due to the lack of school seats. However, with the announcement of the second shift, these families are now planning to return to Qatar.
“To be eligible, students must be Indian nationals with a residence visa valid for at least one year and should not be currently enrolled in other schools in Qatar,” Rahim explained.
“We are one of the schools selected to run this evening shift. This decision comes in response to the overwhelm-ing demand for admissions. The Indian embassy has also been working tirelessly to help accommodate stu-dents waiting for spots in Indian schools, putting additional pressure on these institutions to expand capacity,” Shaik Shamim Saheb, Principal, Ideal Indian School, said.
“The introduction of the evening shift is a blessing for Indian schools, enabling them to take in the excess num-ber of students. I’m glad the Ministry has taken this step,” he added.
In terms of logistics, schools are preparing to manage the increased number of students. Transportation is one of the key challenges, with schools considering outsourcing bus services to meet the demand. “We cannot rely solely on our current fleet. Outsourcing may be necessary, as managing transportation with the existing buses would strain both time and manpower,” Rahim said.
Recruitment efforts, mainly for teachers, are already underway with all schools posting about hiring teachers on their social media platforms. Interviews are being conducted, and schools are focusing on hiring teachers local-ly.
