Co-education remains taboo for most Qataris

thexonic
By thexonic

MOST Qataris are not in favour of any plan to introduce co-education, saying it will only “cause damage to a deeply-rooted culture of segregation between male and female students”.
Abdul Aziz al-Sayed, a principal of an Independent School, said that any plan for co-education would be regarded as a “war against the culture and create confusion and alienation among students”.
According to him, it is hard to put an end to a heritage of single-sex learning. “We should not be lured by the educational philosophies made in the West. Every society has its own traits and our society is not prepared for such step or even will be happy with it,” he said, adding, “Even some Western countries have introduced single-sex education system.
“I have visited many schools in the USA and Europe and they are reviewing the policy of co-education after many findings showed its drawbacks,” he said.
Noura al-Saad, a columnist with a local Arabic daily, said that any proposal to introduce co-education system would be doomed to fail since “the scheme would not be acceptable to the community at all”.
“I believe that any step like that will be rejected by the majority. Our community will not be happy about the idea of mixing between men and women whether at schools or at work. Nothing obliges us to adopt co-education system,” she said.
“I put a face veil and work in an exclusively female section in my office, I will quit my job if it becomes obligatory for me to work in a mixed-sex environment,” she added.
Dr Amina al-Hail, an official at the Ministry of Education, dismissed the perception that those who received their education in a single-sex system can hardly work in a labour market permitting mixing between males and females, as “untrue”.
“All the Qatari women are now working in public and private sectors along with men though both were products of a single-sex education. The problem is that the foreigners think that our community is being shackled by restrictions and traditions. This notion is wrong. Men and women are working now on equal basis with one another in many departments and we do not hear about harassment of any type,” she said.
However, Hassan al-Jifairi, a social activist, favoured co-education system, saying that it would improve the output of education process by attracting students to schools and universities.
“I believe that ending the segregation of genders in university and schools will improve learning and make it attractive. Both males and females would be inspired by one another and have spirit of competition,” he said. According to al-Jifairi, it would also create some sort of self-discipline as females and males try to be courteous, cautious and under control when they are in one place.

Gulf Times

By Vegas• 17 Jul 2008 20:52
Vegas

You can't teach experience

By superdoc• 17 Jul 2008 20:16
superdoc

Qatar government and ministry of education are doing an excellent job and i salute them. The new independent schools are adopting modern methods of teaching and are much better than most commercial English schools like Newton or Jazeera academy or gulf-english etc.

And why should they adopt co-ed? they are trying to protect their conservative culture, and they shud.

By JMT• 17 Jul 2008 15:54
JMT

so many aircrafts to keep the men separated from the women...

By anonymous• 17 Jul 2008 15:50
anonymous

Thanks Gypsy.

I forgot that we aren't supposed to point out the dissent amongst the Qataris and the contempt they show for the current regime.

Next thing I'll start expecting business men to honour contracts!!

Or maybe the Qatari youth will follow the road rules, lol.

Maybe even the guys decide that the Emir's decree that they shouldn't smoke in Starbuck's is worth reading, instead of openly showing their disrespect to the Emir and his decrees... funny...

I guess the local people don't mind that the royal family has purchasde 10 A380 aircraft for the own personal use, rather than opening a new medical centre, or building new schools, or fixing the roads.

By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 15:41
Gypsy

Careful rami-leb you're bringing to light the uncurrents of dissention and the appearant rift between the current government and the people. If you keep pointing these obvious incongruencies out, you will be deported. :P

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By anonymous• 17 Jul 2008 15:36
anonymous

Does anyone find it mildly contradictory that Education City is all about bringing in foreign teaching styles and experiences (implying that foreign systems are obviously better) but yet all the local 'experts' dismiss it off hand.

If the local teaching style is obviously so good and so much better suited to this culture and so much less offensive, then isn't it saying that Qatar Foundation, and in particular Sheikha Mozah, are idiots for trying adopt a western educational system?

By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 15:31
Gypsy

Men get Antartica. It's so cold they won't notice there's no women. :P

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By JMT• 17 Jul 2008 15:31
JMT

That women can be just as greedy as men, too! LOL

By JMT• 17 Jul 2008 15:30
JMT

Greenland and the rest to the girls. :)

By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 15:29
Gypsy

Awesome, so the girls get the center and the boys are all spread out in the island type continents. :D

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By Vegas• 17 Jul 2008 15:27
Vegas

You can't teach experience

By someonenew• 17 Jul 2008 15:22
someonenew

But if they get Australia there are chances of contamination(some desperate bozo might swim accross looking for girlfriend of his own!)

Well lets see Africa... now ... after lots of brain things in my head I think it should come to us!!!

I dream of a better tomorrow where Chickens can cross the Road without having their motives questioned - Unknown

By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 15:19
Gypsy

No way someonenew, they can definetly have Australia. There's big spiders there.

Hey I forgot...who gets Africa?

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By someonenew• 17 Jul 2008 15:16
someonenew

rami-leb what if ur a smoking left wing cat person?

I dream of a better tomorrow where Chickens can cross the Road without having their motives questioned - Unknown

By Vegas• 17 Jul 2008 15:16
Vegas

And no way do I want to be stuck with a bunch of men...

You can't teach experience

By anonymous• 17 Jul 2008 15:11
anonymous

Gypsy's right. Men are big and strong and independent. It's not like they need women around to cook and clean for them.

Women are also fully integrated into all aspects of society too. There's no need for them to interact with men. Women can be the leaders of nations, judges, mothers, electricians. They don't need men arond to hold them back.

And while we're at it we might as well just face up to the idea that religious tolerance is a daft notion too. So we should segregate all religions. And countries should be divided into political divisions too. Left and right wing people don't really like to mix, which is okay. Let's just seperate them all entirely. It worked a treat in Berlin.

And smokers and non-smokers should be kept apart, obviously. As well as cat-people and dog-people, since they never really get on either.

By someonenew• 17 Jul 2008 15:09
someonenew

Thex- I donno abt the girls u know but i had loads of fun in a girl's school and girl's hostel and really didint like co-ed very much. I'm serious! And i'm not saying this beecasue i agree with the nut job above but outta good old experience. Been there ...done that types

And Gypsy I agree with u but i think the boys can stuff themselves into North n South America.. We'll take the rest:)

I dream of a better tomorrow where Chickens can cross the Road without having their motives questioned - Unknown

By JMT• 17 Jul 2008 15:08
JMT

could be the mixing zone! For those less religious, you know. ;)

By thexonic• 17 Jul 2008 15:07
thexonic

Gypsy r u practicing Afghani religion? or Saudi?

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"War is not the answer"

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By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 15:02
Gypsy

Nope I'm practising for a good religious lifestyle. God doesn't want men and women mixing.

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By thexonic• 17 Jul 2008 15:01
thexonic

Gypsy r u trying to practice or consider lesbianism?

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"War is not the answer"

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By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 15:00
Gypsy

Jeez, a girl says she wants to completely segregate the sexes and people start calling her a man-hater. :P

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By thexonic• 17 Jul 2008 15:00
thexonic

Thats what alot of girls might say too, they had a blast... but in a different term.

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"War is not the answer"

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By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 14:59
Gypsy

I think we need to put oceans between. The boys get North and South America and Australia, the girls will take Europe and Aisa. That should keep us nice and seperate.

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By Vegas• 17 Jul 2008 14:59
Vegas

You can't teach experience

By JMT• 17 Jul 2008 14:57
JMT

Segregation of the whole planet? Would that be a North-South divide or an East-West one? And you know the boys would always be trying to sneak over to the girls side, just like they did at summer camp!

By someonenew• 17 Jul 2008 14:53
someonenew

I studied in a girl's school and I had a blast!

I dream of a better tomorrow where Chickens can cross the Road without having their motives questioned - Unknown

By anonymous• 17 Jul 2008 14:37
anonymous

What a pathetic piece of reasoning:

Dr Amina al-Hail, an official at the Ministry of Education, dismissed the perception that those who received their education in a single-sex system can hardly work in a labour market permitting mixing between males and females, as “untrue”.

“All the Qatari women are now working in public and private sectors along with men though both were products of a single-sex education. The problem is that the foreigners think that our community is being shackled by restrictions and traditions. This notion is wrong. Men and women are working now on equal basis with one another in many departments and we do not hear about harassment of any type,” she said.

Has it occurred to her that there are many, many women who won't even enter the workforce, primarily because they are afraid of being in the same building with *shock* ... men?

And what's with the use of the word 'All'??? 'All' the Qatari women are working? Come back to earth, love.

By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 13:16
Gypsy

Nope, no more marriage thexonic, COMPLETE seperation is the only answer.

Vegas do you really think I'm being serious?

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By Khanan• 17 Jul 2008 13:14
Khanan

comment TheXOnic....??

and your observation that lack of co-ed is the reason for homos here...really make me laugh!!!!

____________________________________________________

Have Courage To Live.

Anyone Can Die.

By Vegas• 17 Jul 2008 13:14
Vegas

You can't teach experience

By thexonic• 17 Jul 2008 13:12
thexonic

Gypsy, actually this will make it worse. Cuz women don't really know the formula of making an artificial men body parts or toys lol. On the other part the men will satisfy their needs, all they need is a hole, but we need to have a 3rd part of the world for married people like me (who r married to women) :D.

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"War is not the answer"

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By Gypsy• 17 Jul 2008 13:08
Gypsy

We shouldn't stop at segregating the schools, we should seperate men and women totally. Men should have one side of the planet, women the other. The human race can reproduce by men shipping semen over and women becoming impregnated artificially. This would solve all the worlds problems.

Visit www.qatarhappening.com

By thexonic• 17 Jul 2008 12:52
thexonic

And I wonder why homoism still exists lol.

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"War is not the answer"

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