They should never have made all the indep, schools switch over to English. It happened too fast, with too little support. You have Arab teachers who themselves don't have command of English, trying to teach students in English. It's ridiculous... The inservice training that they offer to teachers there is insufficient, akin to a band-aid for a broken arm.
A much better model would have been to make them all bilingual schools (research support that model as being the best for student success in both languages). A second language is best acquired when one has already developed cognitively in one's mother/native tongue -- but even then it takes YEARS to achieve at the same level as native speakers.
Additionally, few locals will EVER leave Qatar to work. Realistically, these individuals will simply interface with outside groups (thus they need English for communication in these situations) -- so their ARABIC language skills really need to be paramount. But I don't think the current model reflects that aim.
I can never see them having a preponderance of local/Qatari teachers in these schools either. Men here won't lower themselves to take a job of so little stature, and women will do it until they start having a family, and then many don't want to work (so your staff turnover will be constant). And this presupposes that these local teachers would all be qualified, skilled teachers in their subject area -- another ginormous leap.
I also have to concur with PM's observation. Some local students will work and sweat to make something of themselves; others clearly have no interest in actually doing anything other than sticking it out for 4 years, doing the bare minimum required to get that piece of paper. I see the former group growing in number but they're still a minority IMHO (and they have an uphill struggle, battling all the stereotypes of Qataris as unqualified lazy a**es).
In short, a LOT of work remains to be done here. But I am hopeful that given time they can make the needed changes.
"Marriage is a wonderful institution...but who wants to live in an institution?" -- Groucho Marx
They should never have made all the indep, schools switch over to English. It happened too fast, with too little support. You have Arab teachers who themselves don't have command of English, trying to teach students in English. It's ridiculous... The inservice training that they offer to teachers there is insufficient, akin to a band-aid for a broken arm.
A much better model would have been to make them all bilingual schools (research support that model as being the best for student success in both languages). A second language is best acquired when one has already developed cognitively in one's mother/native tongue -- but even then it takes YEARS to achieve at the same level as native speakers.
Additionally, few locals will EVER leave Qatar to work. Realistically, these individuals will simply interface with outside groups (thus they need English for communication in these situations) -- so their ARABIC language skills really need to be paramount. But I don't think the current model reflects that aim.
I can never see them having a preponderance of local/Qatari teachers in these schools either. Men here won't lower themselves to take a job of so little stature, and women will do it until they start having a family, and then many don't want to work (so your staff turnover will be constant). And this presupposes that these local teachers would all be qualified, skilled teachers in their subject area -- another ginormous leap.
I also have to concur with PM's observation. Some local students will work and sweat to make something of themselves; others clearly have no interest in actually doing anything other than sticking it out for 4 years, doing the bare minimum required to get that piece of paper. I see the former group growing in number but they're still a minority IMHO (and they have an uphill struggle, battling all the stereotypes of Qataris as unqualified lazy a**es).
In short, a LOT of work remains to be done here. But I am hopeful that given time they can make the needed changes.
"Marriage is a wonderful institution...but who wants to live in an institution?" -- Groucho Marx