

49

Education Regarding Human
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
in the State of Qatar
Ministry of Education, Qatar

Human rights have been considered as one of the most important subjects
that the world has ever known. They will gain increasing interest at all levels, national and international, whether from researchers or practitioners.
This increasing interest is largely due to the fact that the subject of human rights
is greatly related to human dignity. Human rights protect human dignity andmaintain people’s humanity. Human rights are the outcomes of both centuries ofhuman history and the experiences of civilizations all over the world.
The State of Qatar has been a pioneer inthe field of human rights. Qatar has followed
the way of democracy, taking steps such as
the closure of the Ministry of Information,
granting citizens the right to be elected into
public office, holding municipal elections, andexerting continuous efforts to activate the roleof civil society. An absolute majority of thepeople directly voted to approve the final andpermanent Constitution of the State of Qatar
on 29 April 2003.
The Constitution includes 40 articles thatdeal with human rights particularly Article 146.
This article deals with the regulations related
to rights and general freedoms guaranteed to
Qatari citizens. The following discussion presents the efforts of the Ministry of Education of
the State of Qatar on the application of humanrights and basic freedoms.

Human rights and the law
The State of Qatar ratified the Convention
on the Rights of the Child on 3 April 1995. The
State of Qatar, its Ministries especially the Ministry of Education, and its different institutions
are intent on making children become aware of
the principles of human rights and freedoms
stipulated by the United Nations Universal
Declaration of Human Rights through the following laws and legislations:1.	������������������������������
The Constitution states that:

Education is an essential pillar, which aids inachieving progress in society. It is supported by
the State, which spares no effort to spread anddisseminate it. (Article 25)
The State is exerting all efforts to implement compulsory education as stipulated in the laws andregulations of the State of Qatar. (Article 49)

2.	�������������������������������������������
The Emiri Decision No. 25 issued in September 2001 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad4950  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Bin Khalifa, the Emir of the State of Qatar,
details compulsory education for all children
in Qatar. The 2001 Ministerial Decision
No. 48 and modified by the 2003 Ministerial Decision No. 7 detail the formation ofa special committee to execute the Emiri
Decision No. 25
3.	�������������������������������������������
The 2003 Ministerial Decision No. 27 establishes a department for Pre-School education
entitled the Chairmanship of Pre-School
Education
4.	��������������������������������������������
The 2004 Ministerial Decision No. 4 details
the formation of a Supreme Committee forthe dissemination in schools of the principles
included in the Convention on the Rightsof the Child
5.	��������������������������������������������
The 2004 Ministerial Decision No. 5 details
the formation of a Committee to consolidate
the educational values at schools. It also
provides that the Supreme Committee shallsupervise the project on inclusion of students with special needs into the education
system.
In general, the State wishes to aid the future of the next generations by achieving thegoals of these educational policies concerning
human rights, represented in the following
guidelines:• All citizens should be trained on the rights
of citizenship and political participation•	Education should make the students learn
the value and practice of work, production
and perfection• It should enable students to become proficient in the essentials of education such as
reading, writing, and mathematics• It should provide students with knowledge
in advanced sciences, methods of research,and scientific exploration• It should promote the proper skills and attitude of self-education in order to create asociety that seeks knowledge constantly• It should urge the citizens to be trained on
the skills of expressing one’s self in different
ways• It should train students on the practical usesof computers• It should develop their ability to create, invent, think methodically, and their practicalapplications• It should develop talented and creative students and prepare a scholastic environmentthat enhances their skills and hobbies• It should rehabilitate those with special needs
in a way that help them efficiently join thesociety• It should obliterate the source of illiteracy
and achieve continuous progress in the
promotion of adult education.
Qatari laws and legislations do not differentiate between men and women; however,the particular needs of women are taken into
consideration in some cases. There are specificlegal provisions concerning childbirth leave (including breastfeeding leave and childcare leave),leave for female Qatari employees whose husbands die, and leave for special circumstances.

Human rights in the educational systems
In order to implement the provisions of
the Constitution in a quantitative as well as aqualitative manner and to assert the right toeducation of all people, the Ministry of Education seeks to establish schools throughout theState of Qatar. There are several quantitative
indications of progress of realizing human rights
in the State of Qatar demonstrated by:• Progress in Kindergarten and Pre-School
Education: Originally, Kindergarten was
managed by a special sector and the Ministryof Education’s role was confined to issuinglicenses, providing technical and managerial
supervision, and providing financial support
each year. However, after adopting the Educational Policy, Pre-School education is now
considered part of the education system.
The State has established public, government-affiliated Kindergartens, paving theHuman Rights Education in Schools - Qatar  51

way for Pre-School education to become accredited and added to the other three stagesof education, namely, Primary, Preparatory,
and Secondary. The Ministry of Education
indicates that in scholastic year 2003-2004,
there are five Kindergartens affiliated withthe government, which includes eight hundred thirty-four Qatari children distributed
into fifty classes.
• Achieving Equality between the Two Sexes:
In the 2001-2002 scholastic year, there were113,188 students who joined schools in theState of Qatar. In the 2003-2004 scholastic
year, 119,254 students were enrolled, achieving an increase of 60,66 students, 5 percent
increase from the previous scholastic year
(2001-2002). Schools in Qatar have 49
percent girls and 51 percent boys, indicatingnear equal numbers of girls and boys.
•		Indications of Increasing Number andEquality of Students Joining Primary
School: There were 64,255 students whowent to primary school in the 2001-2002
scholastic year. In the 2003-2004 scholastic year, 65,291 students entered primaryschool, a two percent increase in the numberof primary school students, with 49 percent
girls and 51 percent boys.
•		Indications of Increasing Number andEquality of Students Joining Middle (Preparatory) School: There were 27,519 students
who joined Middle School in the previous
scholastic year. In the 2003-2004 scholastic
year, there were 29,483 students in Middle
School, a seven percent increase in the number of students in Middle School, with 47
percent girls and 53 percent boys.
•		Indications of Increasing Number andEquality of Students Joining Secondary
School: There were 21,414 students whoentered secondary schools in the 2002-2003
scholastic year. In the 2003-2004 scholastic
year, there were 24,480 students in secondary schools, a fourteen percent increase in
the number of students in secondary school,with 51 percent girls and 49 percent boys.

Promoting human rights
The State of Qatar promotes human rights
through the following qualitative indications:• Providing the opportunity for children to express themselves: in the three levels of education (primary, preparatory, and secondary),
there are groups on library, press, and scholastic broadcast through which children canfully express their opinions. There are alsomagazines, bulletins, researches, and published studies. The Ministry of Education
organizes cultural and informational debates
among students in order to encourage themto express their opinions, and advocates local
visits for students to different corporations
in order to develop efficient interaction andcommunication with society.
• Helping parents get involved in their children’s education: The Ministry of Education
has formed the Parent’s Council, which
invites mothers and fathers of students toschools in order to discuss all matters relating to their sons and daughters. The Ministryof Education seeks to develop an educationalawareness through the Parent’s Council ina way that enables parents to assume more
responsibilities on their children’s education.
Schools invite parents to spend the whole
day with their children in classes in orderto acquaint themselves with their children’s
school life.
• Protecting children from any forms of violence, harm, or insults: The Ministry forbids
any form of physical or verbal punishment.
The Ministry also asserts the need for teachers to use proper, gentle language and treatment inside and outside the classroom.
• Curriculums and textbooks: Through proper
curriculums and textbooks, schools teachstudents general human rights and theirrights as students and citizens. These curriculums and textbooks contain concepts
related to human rights such as:Ø Political and Civil Rights52  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSØ	Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
Ø Rights to Social Security Systems within
the StateØ Rights relating to children, women, theelderly, and the people with disabilities.
These rights are taught with great care using appropriate teaching and learning methods.
There will be continuous modifications in the
curriculums and textbooks to cope with newdevelopments in the field of human rights.
• International Festivals and Cultural Competitions: The Ministry of Education encourages
students and members of faculty to celebrate
international festivals and organize culturalcompetitions (such as the International Dayof the United Nations, cultural festivals, andfestivals of tolerance) that allow students
to become acquainted with human rights
principles and instruments, and all the rights
themselves.
• Privately financed education: In an effort tointegrate the whole society into the educational processes, the Ministry of Education
offers different opportunities to the private
sector to invest and take part in the educational system. The role of privately-financed
education is not only confined to regulareducation, but include also the irregularforms of education such as training centers.
Regular education includes Arab Kindergartens, Arab Schools, Foreign Schools, andSchools for Students of Other Nationalities.1
These schools take into consideration a rangeof values, goals, and concepts related tohuman rights. Through policies and educational goals, schools encourage students topractice these principles and values insideand outside the classroom.
• The School Buildings (School Environment):
Many school buildings have all the specifications and equipments necessary for proper
learning. These schools contain laboratories,
multipurpose halls, courts, computers, andcanteens. The schools are centrally air conditioned, and provide free transportation to

the students. The Committee of Canteen
and Water continuously monitor the water
stores and the canteens. As prescribed by the
Ministry of Education, Ministry of General
Health, Ministry of Municipal Affairs, andMinistry of Agriculture, the meals servedto the students are ensured to be clean andhealthy. Hence, the canteens are kept clean,and cold and clean potable water are continuously supplied to all students.
• Activities and Sports Competitions: The
physical and mental health of the students, aswell as their entertainment, remain as one ofthe priorities of the Ministry of Education.
For this purpose, many games and tournaments of all kinds of sports are organized inmany schools in accordance with the appropriate and well-studied strategy for each age
group in all stages of education. The sports
include track and field, gymnastics, tennis,
football, handball, basketball, and volleyball.
A program on teaching children how toswim (from beginners level) has been set up(by governmental and private schools) under
the slogan “children swimming literacy.”• Services and facilities offered to the students:
The Ministry of Education offers different
services and facilities to the students:• Health Services including medication,
preventive, and measuring services are
made available to all students in all
schools in Qatar. Every student has a“Health File” which is managed by the
Health Clinic at each school. Moreover,there are female or male nurses at every
clinic.
The health services offered to the students
at school also include diagnosis, follow
up treatment, dental health care, andearly treatment for many cases such as
anemia, physical and mental fitness, andbreast cancer for girls. A program called“I Have Grown Up” was initiated tomake the female teenager aware of somenecessary health matters. Vaccination is
also provided at schools in cooperation

Human Rights Education in Schools - Qatar  53

with the Ministry of Public Health.
• Financial Aid and Support: The Ministry of Education pays great attention to
the students who suffer from economic
problems. The Ministry of Education annually allocates a budget to help students
throughout the year. Financial support,taken out of the profits of the canteens,is provided to all students who are inurgent need of money.

Human rights for people with special
needs
The Ministry of Education is very keen inproviding various educational services to all citizens. It also pays great attention to that categoryof citizens with special needs. The Ministry of
Education facilitates their comprehensive development to help them break the psychologicaland social barriers, paving the way for them to
be integrated into the society. The Ministry of
Education tries to make sure that the membersof the society are aware of people with special
needs and their important role in participating
in society.
This is achieved through the establishmentof schools, centers and special institutes thatprovide care and development programs tocitizens with special needs. In accordance withthe special law on people with special needs,
nine rights are addressed: right to1.	���������
Education
2.	����������������������������������
Qualification according to ability
3.	��������������������������������������
Medical, Psychological, Cultural, andSocial Care
4.	��������������������������������������
Obtain tools, devices, means of transportation, and equipments which help
them in education, qualification, andmovement
5.	�����������������������������������������
Receive relief, aid and other supporting
services
6.	��������������������������������������������
Work in the public and private sectors thatsuit their capabilities and qualifications
7.	��������������������������������������Engage in sports and entertainment ac-

cording to their special abilities
8.	���������������������������������
Shelter that ensure safe movement
9.	�������������������������������������������
Use convenient public utilities and ensure
their participation in making decisions
related to them.
Article 5 of the same law stipulates that job
opportunities should be available for people
with special needs. The Supreme Council for
Family Affairs is committed to cooperate withthe concerned authorities that offer its services
and programs to those of special needs in thesefields. There is a joint cooperation between the
Ministry of Education and the Supreme Council
for Family Affairs to provide health services,
proposals, and programs that meet the requirements of people with special needs.
The Department of Special Education isaffiliated with the management of the Social
Education in the Ministry of Education. It
commits to providing the services of educationand qualification to those with special needsin order to achieve development in its educational, psychological, socials, conversational,
and vocational services on the quantitative andqualitative levels. There has been an increase in
the number of people with special needs whojoin schools. In the school year of 2003-2004,
Schools of Mental Education had 199 Students
with special needs, Schools of Audio Education
had 110, and El Noor Institute accommodated
245 students.
As for the curriculum of students with special
needs, the Ministry of Education provides curriculums and programs consisting of two-year
preparation then six-year vocational training.
The Ministry of Education also provides four
years for vocational qualification activities suchas carpentry, book binding, painting, agriculture, and poetry for boys; sewing, embroidery,
and home economics for girls.

Human rights and Student Councils
The Ministry of Education pays great at-

54  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

tention to communications inside and outside
the school. This is important for raising theawareness of others on different experiences ofstudents. Moreover, sharing and benefiting fromthese experiences constitute another important
goal that the Ministry of Education realizes.
Therefore, the Student Councils are considered
one of the essential means of communication
linking the inside and outside communities ofthe schools together. The project on Student
Councils aim to:•-	�����������������������������������������
Make students become aware of their roles-	�����������������������������������������Give them opportunities to express theiropinions-	����������������������������������������������
Develop their discussion and debate abilities
and skills-	��������������������������������������������
Realize the principles of democracy in relation to their rights and know how to demandthese rights.
Each school has a Student Council. This
council has members elected directly by thestudents. The tasks are distributed among themembers of the council. There are regularmeetings attended by the representatives of thecouncil from different schools and educational
levels. The problems that the representatives
bring to the table are discussed and solved in
the meetings. The representatives also organize
seasonal meetings with people in key positions in the Ministry of Education to convey
their views and needs. Student parliaments are
considered to be a kind of Student Council forsecondary schools in Qatar. These parliaments
play an important role in conveying the opinionsof the students to the responsible officials in the
Ministry of Education.
The Student Councils are constituted at
different levels: class, school, and Ministry of
Education. An executive council composed of
the responsible officials of the Ministry of Education and student councils is also created.
The Junior Educational Parliament, organized by the Social Committee of the Educational Projects Bank in Primary Schools, aims
to practice the concept of democracy among

the students, develop the spirit of citizenshipto enable the students to face future challenges,
develop student ambitions, and evaluate andpredict future changes in the educational system.
Parents also have an active role in the activitiesof this project.

Studies, Researches, Papers, Reports
regarding Human Rights
The Ministry produces and coordinates studies, researches, papers, and educational reports
concerning human rights. The following havebeen reported on:• Introduction of human rights into the primary and secondary school curriculums of
Qatari schools• Introduction of Democracy in the curriculums and textbooks of Qatari schools• Introduction of concepts and principles of
the Red Crescent Organization in the curriculums and textbooks of Qatari schools• Publication by the Ministry of Education ofreports on the followingØ	Education pertaining to human rights,
democracy, ethical education, and education for international peaceØ The Arab Forum of Education and Human Rights
Ø Participation in the conference on education on human rights• Studies on planning on, and evaluation of,
the introduction of concepts of human rights
into the Qatari school curriculums.

Local and International Partici pations
Relating to Human Rights
These are some of examples of Qatar participating in local and international events concerning human rights:• Participation in the discussion of Qatar’s
first report on the implementation of theConvention on the Rights of the Child in theHuman Rights Education in Schools - Qatar  55

Committee on the Rights of Child (Geneva,
Switzerland)• Participation in a workshop on the introduction of human rights instruments in the
curriculums and holding of training sessions
for people in the education field• Participation in a regional workshop withmembers of the Islamic Education community to consider and discuss the Islamic
point of view on human rights in school
curriculums• Represented as a member in the National
Committee of Human Rights in Qatar• Participation in the workshop on disabled
people in the Arab World and the International Conference on the Rights of the
Disabled (Bahrain)• Participation in a forum on human rights(Doha, Qatar)• Participation in a workshop on human rights
education in schools in the Gulf States(Doha, Qatar)• Participation in a workshop on human rights
in the school curriculum in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Doha, Qatar)• Annual celebration in schools of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights• Participation in the 17th conference of ‘Female
Guides; Our Rights and Responsibilities - A
way to a better life’ (Oman)• Participation in the regional workshop on‘Education on Human Rights in the Educational Systems in the Arab Gulf States’(Doha, Qatar)• Participation in the training workshop on‘Introducing Human Rights in the Curriculums of Secondary Schools’ (Tunis,
Tunisia)• Participation in the 12th Workshop on Regional Cooperation for the Promotion andProtection of Human Rights in the AsiaPacific Region (Doha, Qatar)• Participation in the training session on the‘Work Mechanisms of the United Nations’(Geneva, Switzerland).

Endnote1
All natural born Qatari citizens are considered
to generally belong to one ethnic group. Other
ethnic, religious, and/or linguistic minority groups are
considered temporary residential workers from outside
the country and enjoy all minority rights during theirperiod of stay in the State of Qatar including the rightto education in their native language.