Manama: Parents in Qatar have reportedly asked the Supreme Education Council to investigate a move by an international school to separate Arab students, including Qataris, from non-Arabs.
The parents said they contacted the school when they heard about the segregation move, but they were not convinced with the response.
“We went to the school last week to know about the reasons that made it separate students on ethnic lines,” parents said, according to a report on Saturday by Qatari daily Al Arab. “The school administration said the decision was based on the fact that students did not have all the courses in common and that there were courses such as religious studies and Arabic that were taken only by Arab students. This meant that students had different courses and had to move to other classrooms at specific periods.”
The separation between students along ethnic lines was not acceptable and would fuel suspicion and hatred, they argued.
“The decision will also give foreign students more privileges, including better services and activities and more competent teachers,” parents said without elaborating. “Arab students will feel underprivileged and concerned about the situation. We want the Council to probe the situation and take the measures that ensure neutrality and equality among students,” they said.
The Supreme Education Council, established in 2002, is the official agency responsible for overseeing and directing the education system in Qatar.
