Three Indian schools have been granted permission to operate a two-shift system from the new academic year (2019-'20), starting from April this year.
The MES Indian School, Ideal Indian School and Shantiniketan Indian School have been granted permission by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to operate morning and afternoon shifts, providing relief to parents who have been finding it difficult to get admission for their children in schools with affordable fees, it is learnt.
The ministry had recently allowed private schools, especially community schools, to run two shifts provided they complied with its directives. As Indian schools were finding it difficult to cope with the growing demand for a greater number of seats, this has come as a boon for many in the largest expatriate community in the country.
MES Indian School and Shantiniketan Indian School have already announced that they will launch the second shift from April while Ideal Indian School is still to make a formal announcement in this regard as the school is looking into the feasibility of the shift system.
MES principal Hameeda Kader said that the school is getting ready to launch the shift system and the modalities are being worked out.
“We have already opened registration for students and depending on the demand, we will decide on the whole programme. We are working on the proposal and the details will be given soon,” she explained.
Ideal Indian School principal Syed Shoukath Ali said the school has been given permission to operate a two-shift system. “We are studying the feasibility and exploring the possibility of running on two shift system. We are looking into the logistics and will take the call on it very soon,” he noted.
In a statement reported in Gulf Times on Saturday, SIS president K C Abdul Latheef said the two-shift system will provide "great relief" to students still waiting for admission as the vacancies in Indian schools are limited and registrations are already complete.
SIS principal Dr Subhash Nair explained that the afternoon session will follow India’s Central Board of Secondary Education curriculum in line with the conditions set by Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education. “The second session will have the same facilities, standards and features as the existing first shift. The school will offer the same fees structure for both sessions,” he added.
