Qatar, a state with a population of about 885,000, in 2001 had about 100,000 school children, two-thirds of whom were enrolled in government-financed and operated schools. The curriculum, typical of many Arab countries at the time, relied on rote memorization and the system was not capable of assessing the performance of schools. In that year, Qatar was the first Arab country to undertake a bold reform project. It enlisted the help of the Rand Corporation, a US non-profit company but an international player on evaluating and setting educational policy for both the public and private sectors.
“Significant education reforms are possible with enough resources and political will,” said Charles A. Goldman, Associate Director of RAND Education, a unit within RAND, which performed the project funded by the State of Qatar.

Today, the comprehensive project encompassing 65 Independent Schools and serving 51% of government students will reach 85 schools representing 55% of MoE students. This is a source of pride for both Rand and Qatari officials. In a published report on RAND’s own website, the chair of the Qatar Foundation HRH Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, the Consort of the Emir of Qatar said “…We highly value the expertise and support RAND brought to the implementation of our reforms. We are proud of our collective achievements in building innovative models of excellence in education.” In a phone interview, Goldman told The Middle East Educator: “We are very proud of RAND’s collaborative work with Qatar.”

Read the rest of the article in the print edition.

By Staff

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