A unified Code of Conduct governing student behaviour in all private schools and kindergartens in Qatar has been finalised and will be circulated shortly, a senior education official has said.
Dr Rania Mohamed, director of the Department of Private Schools and Kindergartens and acting director of the Private Schools Licensing Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), said the policy establishes a single behavioural framework for private schools despite wide differences in curricula and educational systems.
In its first version, the document sets out general provisions for student behaviour, alongside clear mechanisms, controls and procedures that private schools are required to follow. These include how schools should address issues such as absenteeism, attendance monitoring and dismissal procedures, ensuring consistency across the private education sector.
Dr Mohamed noted that more than 24 different educational systems operate within Qatar’s private schools, each governed by regulations tied to its country of origin. This diversity, she said, has resulted in variations in culture, rules and disciplinary procedures, prompting the Ministry to develop a flexible, overarching framework that can be applied uniformly.
“The document is designed to be compatible with all educational systems,” she said, adding that it does not override individual schools’ behavioural assessment policies. Instead, it provides a governing reference that outlines general standards, while allowing schools to retain detailed internal procedures aligned with their curricula.
She stressed that private schools will continue to follow the educational systems of their respective countries of origin, but all will operate within a single regulatory framework defined by the new Code of Conduct. There is no conflict, she said, between the document’s provisions and the policies currently applied by schools.
As part of its development, the draft policy was shared with 21 private schools representing a range of educational systems. Feedback was collected and incorporated, a process Dr Mohamed said helped ensure the document remains practical and aligned with existing school frameworks.
Once circulated, the unified behavioural policy will serve as a reference point for all private schools and kindergartens, outlining the general regulations governing student conduct across the sector.
On oversight and enforcement, Dr Mohamed said the Ministry has launched the “Ab’adi” campaign as an initial step in monitoring private schools’ compliance with regulations. In addition, monthly supervisory visits are carried out across the sector.
Each month, administrative specialists from the Private Schools Department visit all 352 private schools and kindergartens operating in the country. These visits are complemented by academic inspections, during which specialists provide guidance and monitor the teaching of compulsory subjects, including Arabic Language, Islamic Education, and Qatari History and Citizenship.
In total, around 4,000 supervisory and academic visits to private schools and kindergartens are conducted annually, she said, as part of the Ministry’s efforts to ensure compliance, consistency and educational quality.
