With the new academic year taking off for schools in Qatar that resumed classes yesterday after the long summer break, reinvigorating schooling processes in new, creative ways is the priority for some of the top institutions operating in Qatar, such as the two GEMS schools.
GEMS Education is an international education company which runs 88 schools in 13 countries, including two in Qatar. Both GEMS Wellington and GEMS American Academy had the highest level of positive parent feedback from the 2016 GEMS International Annual Survey that is sent out to all schools across the GEMS network — Wellington was the highest for British Curriculum Schools and the American Academy for US Curriculum schools.
When asked about the major challenges awaiting the school and the students this academic year, Jonathan Dey, Principal and CEO of GEMS Wellington School, Qatar, a branch of Premier Schools International, told Community, “We are very excited about the academic year ahead as we also open the Secondary Department at GEMS Wellington School Qatar and look at expanding all other year groups.”
“The key areas we are developing for this year are preparing our IGCSE programme to be ready for the 2017-18 year, challenging students of all ages to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to meet International age related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics as part of the National Curriculum for England and Early Years Foundation Stage,” Dey continued.
“We are also developing GEMS Wellington School as a school for creativity at all levels: creative and higher order thinking in all subjects, performance and visual arts, and opportunities for pupils to develop entrepreneurial and business enterprise skills for the future.”
On Main Street, Al Wakrah, GEMS American Academy is located right next to GEMS Wellington School. Terry Gamble, Head of School and CEO, GEMS American Academy, told Community that a major challenge for their school remains the uncertain economic climate here in Qatar. “Families are uncertain if they will have a job for the foreseeable future. The challenge for our students remains the same — come to school every day with a positive mindset, good work ethic, and the desire to grow,” Gamble said.
Among other things, both schools will offer an extended Extra Curricular Activity programme incorporating sports, arts and academic programmes. The GEMS Wellington School seeks to set “the highest expectations of academic standards, progress, manners, behaviour and respect”, and Dey believes that one gets a sense of the high expectations expected of students and parents upon entering the school.
“At a simple level, students are encouraged to wear their uniforms with pride — shirts tucked in, top buttons done up and shoes rather than trainers in school. You will see students moving around school purposefully, quietly and sensibly. All adults greet students with a smile and a good morning and these basic courtesies are expected back from the pupils,” explained Dey. “As you look at our learning displays in corridors and classrooms — you will see wonderful examples of high quality learning and teaching. The staff are very proud of their students and this pride is reflected in the time taken to develop wonderful learning environments for the students to thrive in.”
The parents of those studying in the GEMS Qatar schools, share the optimism and positivity of the administrators. Jose Luis Ferreira said, “My children have adapted very well to the school and are improving a lot. I must thank the GEMS team for doing such a wonderful job.”
While Tasahil al-Ghanim feels that her daughter is “looking forward to the new school” as she really enjoys going to school, Wala Alsarabi said that her children find the school to be like their “second home”. Alsarabi said, “I appreciate that the parent involvement is great. The parents feel as if they also truly belong to the school so I would like to convey my warm thanks to the GEMS team and to Principal Terry Gamble.”
But in what way does GEMS stand out in the vast education-scape of Qatar? Dey and Gamble explain that GEMS Education is one of the foremost pioneers of K-12 education across the world and in Qatar, they aim to stand out “by drawing on our over 50 years of education heritage across the Arab world”. “In such a vast Edu-Landscape in Qatar it is hard for parents to make an informed choice about which school to attend, since Qatar does not have a formal School Inspection system,” they said.
Dey and Gamble elaborated, “We provide an Internal Inspection System that ensures a consistency of operational and education standards and excellent opportunities for continuing teacher professional development. We also ensure that our academic standards are benchmarked internationally so that parents know their children are getting extremely high quality tuition. Making parents true partners in learning is another key differentiator and this is not just done through regular and highly effective communication but by running regular parental engagement events to give parents the skills and knowledge to help their children.”
Both academicians had interesting insights and anecdotes to share from their decades-old career in the field of education. “I have been fortunate enough over the years to have former students contact me in person or electronically sharing a school experience that changed their world for the better. Sometimes, as educators, we don’t always get to see the fruits of our labour. These instances just reinforce for me the awesome power teachers have to change the world,” explained Gamble.
Holistic child education includes much more than what only happens in the classroom, Gamble feels. “Our after-school activities and co-curricular activities are a big part of the GEMS American Academy experience. They give our students the opportunity to discover and develop their unique talents and abilities. These activities are an important part of the overall GEMS approach to education. We want to fully encourage our students to take on new experiences and challenges that push them out of their natural comfort zone.”
For Dey, the key moments that stick in his mind all relate to particular pupils “who exceed all expectations and shine in a way you have not seen before”. As a teacher, many years ago, Dey recalls putting on an end of year performance and half way through, one of the lead characters had to pull out. “This character had to act, dance and sing and it was going to be a big ask of any pupil coming into the role. When I asked if anyone was interested, a very quiet girl put her hand up and said she would like to try for the part. The others staff and pupils looked in amazement as this 10-year-old had always chosen to be a listener and do-er rather than a talker or a leader.”
“In all classes you find confident outgoing students who are good at catching the eye of the teachers, but as an educator, I have always been interested in bringing out the best in the quieter, more introverted pupils,” Dey continued. “With support and challenge, the outcome was that this girl came alive on stage — it was her moment of genius. No-one in the school could stop talking about the outstanding performance of the whole cast, but particularly this one young lady. I am very proud to say that this pupil recently graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Education and has just started as a teacher herself.”