Doha: Assistant Director of the Department of School and Student Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Fatima Yousuf Al Obaidli, affirmed the pivotal role of teachers in the country's education system. The launch of the Student Behavior Management Policy and its regulatory guide is seen as a step toward standardizing practices within schools, clarifying roles and procedures, and strengthening partnerships among students, teachers, families, and schools, thereby contributing to a safe, disciplined, and stimulating learning environment.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al Obaidli emphasized during exclusive remarks at the launch ceremony for the Programs and Activities Policy in government schools and kindergartens that prohibiting punishments in the school environment does not equate to tolerating unacceptable behavior or diminishing the teacher's role and authority. Instead, it is part of an integrated student behavior management system aimed at addressing various behaviors through clear and structured educational methods that promote discipline and safeguard the rights of all parties involved in the educational process.
She stressed that student safety, the status of teachers, and the protection of the rights of all parties in the educational process are among the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's foremost priorities. Al Obaidli added that decisions and circulars issued by the Ministry are based on carefully considered educational and scientific principles and undergo review and approval by the Ministry's competent and supervisory authorities, ensuring their clarity and proper implementation in the educational field.
Al Obaidli also highlighted that the regulatory guide for the Student Behavior Management Policy serves as the approved reference that clearly and simply sets out the roles, responsibilities, and procedures to be followed when dealing with any behavioral situation. These begin with the role of the teacher and school administration, extend to the role of social and psychological specialists, and conclude with the appropriate procedures for each case according to its type and severity, thereby ensuring clear mechanisms for addressing various behavioral situations within schools. She added that the guide also defines students' rights and responsibilities, clarifies teachers' authority and responsibilities, and sets out appropriate educational measures for addressing different behaviors in a manner that promotes school discipline, preserves the dignity of all parties, and helps limit individual discretion in handling behavioral cases.
Al Obaidli affirmed that the objective of the policy is not punishment in itself, but rather to foster positive behavior among students and strengthen their values of responsibility and discipline, while providing teachers with the necessary support and enabling them to fulfill their educational mission within a clear and approved framework. She stressed that discipline is a shared responsibility, that protecting students does not conflict with preserving the status of teachers and supporting them, and that the common objective is to prepare responsible and aware students capable of becoming active partners in building the future of the State of Qatar.
The Assistant Director of the Schools and Students Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education told QNA that the Programs and Activities Policy aims to provide a unified regulatory framework for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs and activities, while defining the associated roles and responsibilities. This ensures the provision of high-quality and safe programs and activities that take into account students' needs, interests, and abilities, contribute to developing their personalities and skills, and reinforce their national identity and the values of citizenship, responsibility, and community participation. She highlighted that the policy seeks to strengthen integration between the educational process and school programs and activities, improve the quality of outcomes, and make optimal use of available resources and partnerships in support of the Ministry's educational objectives.
Al Obaidli said the launch of the two policies reaffirms the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's commitment to achieving integration among the academic, educational, and behavioral aspects of schooling and to providing a clear institutional reference that supports schools and kindergartens in implementing approved practices, improves the efficiency of program and activity implementation, and strengthens the student behavior management system.
Concluding her exclusive remarks to QNA, Assistant Director of the Schools and Students Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Fatima Yousuf Al Obaidli, affirmed the Ministry's belief that building a safe and integrated educational environment depends on respecting all parties to the educational process and achieving a balance between protecting students, supporting teachers, and empowering parents as active partners in the educational process, thereby ensuring a school environment based on trust, discipline, and mutual respect.