Western education erodes Qatari culture

Sa, The Qatari have their own respectable culture which they like to maintain irrespect of what kind of education their children are getting,

For example a Majlis gathering is for the Qataris to entertain their friends and family members and not outsiders. They do not like to mix too much.

I have an excellent Qatari Boss, But God knows where he lives how many kids he has and so on, We never ever talk about life outside of work etc.

if it is acceptable then there is no problem, if it is not acceptable then we understand.

Ofcourse when a Qatari student goes and study abroad it is not mandatory for him/her to go to a night club when his/her friends go there, and we can not call this not mixing with them.

Why do we focus only on the negative things and not focus on the positive things?

Keep themslves to themselves is not clear for me and for others can you explain it more MBK?

"as though it was okay that I could meet wives and mothers, since I wasn't Arab?"

Also it differs from one family to another and the mistake that many are doing is that they put all the people in the same basket.

I've had plenty of Qataris over to my place for meals, but it's just such a rare thing to get invited inside their homes.

Majlis is one thing, but the home is so rare.

Ok Tinker when was the last time you invited a Qatari family over to yours for a meal or was invited by them?

I guess the answer is none. Where as Fubar stated above they may be hospitable people, however they culture restrains them from mixing with other?

Am I the only one who finds it weird to read about the Qatari tradition of hospitality?

In all my years of living in Qatar, I have been inside precisely 2 Qatari homes. And even then, I was made to feel welcome because I wasn't Qatari, as though it was okay that I could meet wives and mothers, since I wasn't Arab?

There are many positive aspects to the Qatari culture, but I can't honestly say that I would say hospitality is one of them.

Closed society in terms of that, they like to keep themselves to themsleves.

Can you clarify your point please?

Is it better to have a close society where your family has rest and peace and good environment to grow your children, or an open society where your family is not secure and there is no peace and no good environment to grew your children?

I do not know why it has been deleted and the decision was that all Qatari who go independent schools must wear thoub, and now it free.

The solution is simple, why not insist that all Qatari boys must wear thoub, and add a subject which must be teached and it shall be called the Qatari culture and should be must in all schools and universities in Qatar.

TBell, they cannot loose their culture as they are such a close society.

happy with what they have there in the west?

We are the example for them in terms of respect and peace and generousity.

I still remember that story of a Syrian girl 14 yrs old in UK who decided to claim her father in the court because he did not allow her to go out with her boy friend.

As I said before a culture is a way of living and perceiving and dealing with people and different situation.

Hislam please do not criticize the west as they have their way of living and the point I mintioned was only to reply to you and no other intensions.

They want Western Education for their kids then whats the harm!

The point is very simple, a culture has never been and it will never be a brrier of living or studying abroad.

take what's happening arround them as the rules. We would be too demanding if we expect them to filter what they see or hear specially from their teachers as well as their classmates.

We've just gone away from the article - did anyone read it :O)

that a western teacher will be able to maintain the eastern / local culture of the students.

Never-to-mention the general attitude and atmosphere, particularly, when it comes to the faith issues where Easterns balance tends more to believe in God superior power while Westerns, mostly, don't buy it.

is wide words, let me shorten them as follow:

A civilized person is a person who sticks to his/her culture and belief in such away that he/she stay in touch and communicate easily with others, an example of this person is the one who study abroad and make success in his/her study and maintain his/her culture and belief when coming back and help in building a better community.

The civilization is a word that describes the impact made by any nation in the way of development and science and humanity, civilization can not be used to describe nations where the human rights are forgottend and there are no impact by this nation toward development in science and humanity.

being civilized has to do anything with school?

i studied in ameriacn school , yeap, education changes the culture of the people, they are getting civilized.

Well said tinkerbell. Only when they are young children, the decision is being made not by them but their parents.

Eevery nation adopts the best curriculums and learning systems from others, I think what they do is they include the history and culture of theirs too in the package.

GCE teaches British History when CBSE teaches the Indian History.

"Can I ask you a question why souq Waqif is now the number 1 tourist attraction here in Qatar?"

Well, where else would tourists go?

I really like souq waqif, I go there quite a lot. I am just puzzled as to why traditional Qatari culture has almost been erased from souq waqif.

There are more stalls dedicated to selling cats and dogs than to falcons.

The vast majority of people working there are Asians or other Arab expatriates, selling ‘Arabic’ kitsch – mostly unrelated to the culture of this area. Genie lamps and sheesha pipes.

How is it that I can buy Baskin Robbins or Hagen Daz, but not a decent kibsa hammour, or some nice harrees?

It has been proven to be fault and the evidence is that some Qatari go and study there in USA and the West and become better than their western friends in the same class, same in USA.

Can I ask you a question why souq Waqif is now the number 1 tourist attraction here in Qatar?

I also agree with you when you say "They have Turkish, Lebanese, Egyptian, Indian, Italian... yet strangely Qatari food makes no appearance whatsoever.

To me it's as if some Qataris are actually embarrassed by their culture."

I agree with you that there must be a nice Qatari restaurant there in cultural village.

"almost impossible", straight arrow.

If you want Qatari food, you buy it from a shaky wooden table, served out of a plastic flask by a Filipina wearing an abaya.

But if you want almost any other cuisine, you get to sit in a nice restaurant.

And where is the Qatari food at the Cultural Village?

They have Turkish, Lebanese, Egyptian, Indian, Italian... yet strangely Qatari food makes no appearance whatsoever.

To me it's as if some Qataris are actually embarrassed by their culture.

Agreed. The people are choosing.

Language isn't always culture it can just be a skill akin to knowing how to use Microsoft software. Again it's a choice on not what is taught but how the individual applies the knowledge.

It is not like before, but wait in Souq Waqif there are traditional Qatari restaurants where the cheif cookers are Qatari women and I see many Qataris are eating there and specially the Middle age generation.

About the Majlis habbits, it is still there but not like before.

Linc, I wouldn't assume that educated, wealthy Qataris who study abroad speak English as a second language.

Many learn and speak English from an early age, and in some households Arabic is spoken less than English.

What is exactly Western education? It isn't clearly defined so it is hard to say. Is it just complying to international standards so qualifications will be recognised anywhere or is it a 'soft war on terror'?

It is difficult to teach only in Arabic to any high standard as a lot of books/research etc is published in English.

For leisure activities people choose to watch American films and eat in American franchise outlets. So the people are making their choice in this respect.

or not to become social there or make any progress, then why some Qatari who go to study in USA or Europe takes the highest grades in their classes, some Qataris there are better than the native them selfs in high school and universities??

I would contend that by educating a people, you give them the tools to make informed decisions and to predict desired outcomes.

If, as a consequence of educating Qataris, they have decided to embrace other cultures, it is because their old culture has lost relevance or importance.

To me, it's quite heartbreaking that even in Souq Waqif it's almost impossible to buy authentic Qatari food, or buy authentic Qatari produce or authentic Qatari textiles.

But if Qataris prefer to eat McDonalds of kibsa, and watch horror movies at City Center rather drinking qahwa in the majlis, then it's probably because their old culture bores them.

Britexpat--Language is culture.

If these Western schools like the universities in Education City taught exclusively in Arabic, these sort so of complaints would not exist. I agree with Linc's argument (although not as passionately) that English does not have the capacity to transmit Qatari culture. Too much lost in translation and all that.

But can you define what is culture?

There are many definitions, let us hear from you guys and I will start with the first definition

1. Culture is a way of living which established its roots from the environment it grew in, and it could also be the way of thinking and perceiving things and dealing with others or any living phenomena.

I agree with Bachus's assessment of the situation, but I find it tragic.

Language is a link to our past. Every word and phrase reflects what its speakers have experienced generations earlier. In English, we have Latin words like London due to the Roman invasions, Thursday (for the Norse God Thor--Thor's day) because the Norse invaded parts of England in the first millennium, and a host of other words from the cultures the English conquered with the Empire (cola from West Africa, tobacco from America, bungalow and shampoo from India).

In places like Qatar English is the language of the colonizer. And as with empires of old the new imperialism erases vestiges of cultures, rewarding those who shun tradition for the ways of the colonizer. I disagree with Bachus that compelling the best and brightest of the nation to pursue a Western education puts them on a level playing field with native English speakers. I would argue the opposite. Forcing them to play by Western rules and standards puts Qatari children at a DISadvantage and ensures that they will not be competitive, because native English speakers will always have the homefield advantage, as they are the ones who are making the rules. The best Qataris, or any such nation, can do in the present situation is follow.

But wait, where does the Qatari cultur main roots come from? Doesn't it comes from Islam, and as long as the Quran is there and the saying of the prophet PBUH are there then the Qatari culture will come to life again, the culture may die temporarly but not for ever.

It is the old generation and every Qatari to show the Qatari culture and plant it inside every Qatari.

By the the topic itself should be changed to be Western way of education and Western education, the education itself is a universal word.

The issue of the article is not language, but culture..

They are discussing the transition from a "local school" to studying in a "western environemnt".

“In our department incorporating the culture and traditions of the local population is part of our programme. We try to make the students’ transition from local high schools to western universities a little bit easier, and one of the ways we do this is by honouring Qatari traditions,” McCollum said.

The Qatari 'culture' is thobes, abayas, and Land Cruisers. Nobody's gonna take that away from them. No fears, dear locals. Keep it up.

"Poor literacy skills do not neccessarily dilute the cultural aspects."?!?! If the English suddenly stopped reading English and switched to Russian, are you seriously suggesting this would not erode or dilute English culture? Yep, Shakespeare reads as well in Russian as it does in English--same with Byron, Chaucer, John Stuart Mill, Austen, Milton, Adam Smith, etc. etc. I love reading Satre in English; it makes so much more sense to me when it has been massacred (sorry, 'translated') from the French.

Poor literacy skills do not neccessarily dilute the cultural aspects.

I can understand the issue of "mixed classes" as being an issue - because a few of my Qatari colleagues have mentioned this - but I can't agree about the language and cultural aspect in general.

Bachus--I agree. Complaining about education at this point is like sounding a fire alarm after the building has burned down.

Not if they are going to ASD, which has classes in Arab literacy for all the Qataris and other Arabs who speak Arabic in the home, but because they have always studied in England have poor literacy skills in Arabic. This the same thing that happens to immigrant cultures in the US, France, UK, etc. It is as if Qataris are becoming cultural immigrants in their own country.

What a silly and greay article!

"Hissa Al Kubaisi, head of Arabic Curriculum at the Qatar Academy said: “One of the strengths of the school is that we address our cultural identity. All students learn about Qatar with topic including hospitality of the country, traditions and customs.”"

Don't Qatari students already know about their country, traditions and customs ?

Qatari culture has already been virtually destroyed by the huge numbers of expats. They are a minority in their own country! More people speak passable English than passable Arabic, the shopping malls, the cars, the street layouts, the business models, the food has all become Western-dominated (MacDonald's at the Villagio anyone?). The only thing Qatar really makes is LNG, and they sell that for Western products and services.

Giving them a Western style educations, specially at the uni level, just gives them a chance to compete in the world they are already living. If cultural erosion was concern, that should have been dealt with decades ago. The genii is out of the bottle.

and seeing it practically too..

fact.