Doha: Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) has signed land allocation contracts for the construction and operation of four new private schools, which are expected to provide a total of 5,000 student places. The agreements were signed on Thursday with national companies that won tenders evaluated by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), and MOEHE.

The four schools are Indian Islamic School in Al Wukair, which will follow the Indian curriculum and is represented by Brail Muidu Siddiq; Cardiff International School in Al Wukair, which will follow the Egyptian curriculum and is represented by Dr. Hamad Mubarak Al Kaabi; Pearl Podar School in Al Mansoura, which will follow the Indian curriculum and is represented by Mohammed Nizar; and Al Zaytoun International School in Al Sailiya, which will also follow the Indian curriculum and is represented by Saleh Abdullah Al Sulaiti.

All four schools will be co-educational, offer education across all grade levels and provide affordable tuition fees. The agreements were signed by MOEHE Assistant Undersecretary for Private Education Affairs Omar Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi in the presence of Minister of Education and Higher Education Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, Ashghal President Eng. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Meer and other officials.

The initiative aims to expand private education capacity, meet the growing demand for different curricula and strengthen public-private partnerships in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. Al Nuaimi said the locations of the new schools were selected following studies that considered population density and the geographical distribution of communities across Qatar.

He added that the ministry would continue to attract investors by creating a supportive investment environment for private education. Qatar currently has 354 private schools and kindergartens offering 25 different curricula, serving more than 271,090 students and employing 25,372 people from diverse nationalities and professional backgrounds.

Government incentives for investors include customs exemptions, exemptions from electricity and water charges, the allocation of land and school buildings, the provision of textbooks and educational vouchers for Qatari students. MOCI Assistant Undersecretary for Industry and Business Development Saleh Majed Al Khulaifi said the project reflects the government’s commitment to encouraging private investment in education by providing land and the necessary infrastructure.

The private sector’s expected capital and operating expenditure over the project’s 25-year term is approximately QAR 1.48 billion. Ashghal official Eng. Mohammed Masoud Al Marri and Dr. Rania Yousri Mohammed, national lead for the Public-Private Partnership and Investment Attraction Project in Private Education, highlighted the initiative’s role in improving educational infrastructure, encouraging innovation and expanding opportunities for students. Further partnerships and initiatives to diversify private education services are expected to be announced soon. (QNA)

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