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Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) Class of 2022 graduates have just finished their celebrations and remain committed to accomplishing great things in their communities. Bothaina Jassim Hamad al-Thani, one of the 41 Qatari students in this year’s cohort of 87 graduates, majoring in International Economics with a minor in Government, excelled in her courses and research efforts, winning honours in her major for a paper exploring the rise of private tutoring in Qatar. “I decided to study the determinants of demand for private tutoring in Qatar because the phenomenon has changed greatly in my lifetime. I wanted to add to the body of knowledge on a global phenomenon, understudied in Qatar.” Even with the added responsibilities of preparing to become a new mom, Bothaina graduated magna cum laude, a Latin honour of great distinction, and was awarded the International Economics Outstanding Student Award at GU-Q’s annual Tropaia senior award ceremony. International Politics major and honours graduate, Syed Taha Kaleem’s undergraduate studies were centred around the religious dimension of political conflicts, an area of study he has experienced first hand as a Kashmiri. When in High School, a local lecture delivered by a GU-Q professor introduced Syed Taha to the Qatar campus. That decision put him on a path of scholarly exploration that has ended with his acceptance into Brandeis University’s PhD programme in socio-cultural anthropology straight from his undergraduate studies. Earning a distinguished 2021 Berkley Centre-Pulitzer Centre international reporting fellowship in his junior year, Syed Taha returned to Kashmir to study the connection between Sufi shrines, conflict resolution, and the newly added complications of the pandemic. “I decided to go into this project without preconceived conclusions, letting the field work tell the story instead,” he said, producing journalistic reports that aim to capture the complexities of issues that are often misreported or underrepresented. A global perspective is also what drew Korean international student Sooin Jessica Choi to pursue a Georgetown degree in Culture and Politics in a region of the world she only knew through news headlines. “I’ve always wanted to attend Georgetown. And when I realised they had a campus in the Middle East, I applied.” Throughout her studies, she continued to serve as a bridge between her home country and Qatar by working at a Korean firm that designed leadership training courses for senior professionals in the GCC. A natural ambassador, Sooin tutored writing and geography to her peers, and co-founded a running club to inspire students, professors, and staff to enjoy the benefits of exercise no matter their skill level. Sooin graduated early, and is currently pursuing a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and cites her CULP training as foundational to her research in creating knowledge economies by empowering local and migrant communities.    

To inculcate awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco, Olive International School organised a special assembly on 'World No Tobacco Day'. Students of Grade 8, 9 and 10 participated in the event. A group discussion saw senior students highlighting the risks involved in the use of tobacco, effects of passive smoking, addiction and how teens get into the habit. Prior to the event, a poster designing competition on anti-tobacco day was conducted for students from Grade 7 to 10. Many students participated in the competition showcasing their creativity and imagination. The top two winners were awarded with prizes. A presentation on anti-tobacco day was conducted by chief guest Dr MS Ajimsha who spoke on the harmful impact of tobacco industry on the environment, the ill effects of tobacco, the fatal disease it causes and the addictive nature of cigarettes. He briefed students about the side effects of tobacco and urged them to stay away from the habit.    

The MES Girls team from the preparatory category of School Olympic Team won four gold, seven silver, and three bronze medals in swimming and athletics. Principal Hameeda Kadar congratulated the achievers.    

Sreekumar Ravindra Kumar, a former student of MES Indian School, secured the all India rank of 192 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) results published on May 30. Sreekumar, a 2013 commerce stream batch student, had scored a 93.4% of average and top-scored in Economics with 97% in the Class XII board exams, the school recalled in a statement. Known for his exceptional and versatile qualities and amiable character, Sreekumar was the head prefect of the school in his time. He represented the school and won accolades in various interschool competitions and activities such as the Vodafone Brain Hunt quiz champion-2011 & 12, Qatar School Debate Champion - Top Speaker 2012, apart from being an active participant in MUN conferences.    

MESIS - Abu Hamour branch organised the Principal’s Honour List (PHL) felicitation ceremony on June 1 to honour students for their commendable academic achievements in the past year. The principal’s roll of honour acknowledges students' perseverance and outstanding academic performance. MESIS officials Khaleel A P (vice-president) M C Mohamed (director of cultural and co-curricular activities) and Faizal Mayan (director of Islamic affairs) were the chief guests on the occasion. A total of 55 students from grades IV-VIII were awarded by the chief guests and other school dignitaries. Also, 137 meritorious students of grades I-III were honoured at a PHL ceremony held in the previous week. The event was marked by cultural performances by the students of MESIS. M C Mohamed said, “The students are role models and every young child should learn and take ideas from them to study hard and succeed for their brighter future." The PHL was followed by handing over a plaque of appreciation to Jahnvi S Thalmi of Grade II for excellence in securing a record for a second time in the India Book of Records. She was recognised for being the fastest to recall 100 computer shortcut commands along with their explanation, in 13 minutes, 38 seconds and 46 milliseconds, at the age of six years, 10 months and 17 days as on May 14, 2022.    

Students of grades V-VII at DPS-Modern Indian School (MIS) were applauded and crowned for their outstanding academic performance during the 2021-22 academic year. A total of 230 students were given trophies, badges, certificates, blue blazers and special awards at a ceremony held on May 29. The occasion was graced by chief guest Harish Kanjani, director of DPS-Modern Indian School, principal Asna Nafees, vice-principals, headmistresses, academic and activity co-ordinators, parents and the achievers. Principal Nafees, in her address, said DPS-Modern Indian School has achieved many milestones on its journey of 20 years of excellence, but the institution strongly believes that excellence is a journey - and not a destination - and continuously strives hard to improve standards and adopt innovative changes to engage children constructively. She commended the efforts of the young achievers and encouraged them to be independent, respectful, sensitive and resilient human beings. She also urged the parents to take care of their wards’ mental, physical and spiritual well-being and reinforce Indian values and ideals so that they become true ambassadors of their country.    

Qatar Airways celebrated Oryx International School’s first graduation and prize giving ceremony on Wednesday. The event was attended by the graduate’s families, Qatar Airways Board Members, and faculty staff, who applauded the 21 graduates of Class of 2022 as they walked the stage and collected their certificates. Oryx International School is an exclusive independent school for the children of the airline’s employees and its approved subsidiaries, offering the highest standard of facilities and the best British International education in a safe, caring and welcoming environment, a statement explained. As of May 2022, there are approximately 1,600 students enrolled at the school, which has operated in partnership with Orbital Education since 2016 and offers a modified version of the National Curriculum of England, from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 13. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar al-Baker, said: “At Qatar Airways we firmly believe that quality education is the cornerstone of every prosperous community and essential for building a bright future, making it a basic right for everyone. Therefore, we are extremely proud and honoured to host the first ever prize giving, and graduation ceremony for Oryx International School, class of 2022. We are committed to enabling and empowering our employees’ children through high-level education, preparing them for their next challenge in life and securing them a promising future. I would personally like to congratulate all the graduates and wish them the best of luck on their next ventures.” Oryx International School executive principal, Derek Laidlaw, said: “We are delighted to be hosting our prize giving and inaugural graduation event. We are very proud of our students who have overcome many challenges over the last few years. Congratulations and best wishes to our first cohort of Sixth Form graduates. Thank you to Qatar Airways, Orbital Education, our staff, parents, and students for all their support and success creating our five-star school.” In April 2019, Oryx International School inaugurated its iconic new, purpose-built Mesaimeer campus. The school was initially located near the airline’s headquarters on Old Airport Road. Owned by Qatar Airways and managed by Orbital Education, Oryx International School offers several facilities to ensure that the best academic curriculum is offered to all students. These facilities are state-of-the-art, with highly equipped science, technology, and robotics services. Oryx students also benefit from a first-class physical education facility that offers a fully equipped gym, swimming pool, basketball court, and several other designated areas. Moreover, students experience performing arts in the well-equipped music, dance, and fine art classrooms, and perform in a 400-seater auditorium. Oryx International School Sixth Form students also enjoy a variety of designated areas including a breakout room, a lecture theatre, a large study area and a social area with their own kitchen facilities.    

MES Indian School, in association with A Flower Each Spring, organised a programme for students to install bird feeders and provide water to birds. The initiative, in line with the sixth Scout Law (a Scout is a friend to animals), aimed to encourage students to develop awareness on animal welfare. The programme highlighted the need for students to care for the flora and fauna and and underscored the importance of their commitment to sustainable development and environmental responsibility. School principal and district scout commissioner Hameeda Kadar stressed the importance of following the Scout Laws which attach great emphasis on obeying elders, parents, and superiors. Event and school co-ordinator Fatma Hassan, students assessment consultant Yacub Jaber Y Y Bushawareb, scouts activities consultants Ali Khalil Mohannadi, Ahmed Khamis B al-Yousef, and first scouts activities expert Muna Jumah al-Mansouri were among those present to witness the event. Scouts and Guides overall in-charge Rajesh K S presented a brief note on the project. Guides in-charge Fiona Mary D'cruz welcomed the guests. Guide Steffi Varghese gave a power point presentation on ‘Save Birds, Save Yourself.’ Scout Fahad Sayed delivered a speech in Arabic on ‘Save Birds’. The Cubs and Bulbuls team presented a skit stressing the importance of preserving birds. The members of the school Scouts and Guides brought innovative bird feeders which were made out of waste. The programme was co-ordinated by scouts in-charge Archana Vinod and Cubs and Bulbuls in-charges Fency Pathrose, Balkees Farsana and Blessy Peter. The ICT Department enabled the smooth conduct of the programme. Farsana proposed a vote of thanks.    

The middle section of Birla Public School, Doha conducted the investiture ceremony for the student leaders for the academic year 2022-23. The oath swearing ceremony had Indian embassy first secretary (culture and education) Sachin Dinkar Shankpal as chief guest. School chairman Gope Shahani, management representative Chindu Antony Rappai, school officials and parents of the student office bearers were present. Middle school headmistress Divya Mary Vincent welcomed the gathering. Academic director-principal Harish Sandhuja shared his insights. He said: “A leader’s first step of decision making is very important and it should be taken very wisely. There are two ways of making decisions: first likes and dislikes and the other way is to have a right choice between the right or wrong”. He also highlighted two significant values of integrity and honesty which help great leaders to evolve. Sandhuja appointed Diya Jijo Thaivalapil as the head girl and Krishnaswaroop Thimmegow as the head boy of the Middle School and administered the oath. Shankpal invested them with their office. He administered the oath to vice head boy Mukund Rajesh Nair and vice head girl Husna Raihana. Shahani invested them in his turn, respectively. The principal administered the oath to all the new leaders of the Prefectorial Board and they were invested by different members of the school leadership team. Shankpal urged the newly-elected leaders to be compassionate to fellow students and help them as heads in the family.    

Pakistan International School Qatar (PISQ) student Abdul Salam Abdul Wali won a bronze medal each in 60m and 200m sprint at the athletic meet held as part of the 15th edition of the Schools Olympic Programme (SOP) at Aspire Dome recently. PISQ is winning medals in the SOP for the first time. In the 4x50m relay, the PISQ team comprising Abdul Salam, Ahmad Jehandaraz Khan, Yaseen Nazim and Khalifa Salam finished fifth. Principal Nargis Raza Otho felicitated and appreciated the athletes and their coaches Adnan and Majid Khan.    

The Swiss International School (SISQ) recently welcomed the public to their annual Spring Fair again for the first time in two years. "Thanks to the hard work of Juliana and everyone on the wonderful support team, the SISQ community and visitors enjoyed a great event filled with incredible performances, food from sponsors and vendors, games, and a lot of fun activities for the whole family," a statement said. Young visitors had a lot of fun on the inflatables, decorating cookies, making slime, getting their faces painted, and taking part in various other activities. Both young and older guests enjoyed great sports activities, Virtual Reality simulators, digital photobooth, amongst other event festivities. The Ballet Folklorico de Latin America group performed traditional Latin American dances and mesmerised guests with their colourful traditional wear and even more colourful dances. Javier Saba, a brilliant illusionist and mentalist, left guests thinking and wondering after his magical show. The Qatar Youth & Junior Choir, SISQ Rock Band, Irish dancers, young musicians, traditional dancers, and all other performers also brightened the evening with their wonderful performances and special talents.    

DPS Modern Indian School senior girls debate team were the League Champion and sealed the runner-up trophy at the Qatar School National Debate Championship (Girls) for the second successive year. Team Jereni Cathreen Jeyakaran, Manjushree Magesh and Victoria Apolonio Honoridez claimed the runner-up trophy and secured the title of League Champion for their school. Victoria Apolonio Honoridez, Keren John and Venus Rinith were among the top 10 speakers. The other debaters from DPS MIS at the event were Keira Lauren Antao, Maryem Ayman and Venus Rinith. They were accompanied by teachers Sandhya Gopalakrishnan, Dr Deepika and Jaya Majumder. DPS MIS boys were adjudged top speakers in Qatar School National Debate Championship (Boys). Aditya Jain bagged the title of the best speaker followed by Daiwik Dhar in the third position. DPS MIS also retained the League Runner Up trophy. DPS MIS was represented by Daiwik Dhar, Mehull Girdhar, Govind Krishna, Abhimanyu Gupta, Krish Nagrani and Aryan Shrivastava. Besides honing the debating skills of the students, the tournament also provided a good opportunity for social and cultural exchange.    

  DPS-Modern Indian School organised an investiture ceremony to induct the junior wing prefectorial body and Student Council of 2022-23. School president Hassan Chougule, members of the executive committee, principal Asna Nafees, vice principals, and headmistresses were present. A total of 63 elected students along with head boy Ethan Gonsalves and head girl Ayesha Falak were adorned with sashes and badges. They received the responsibility, with a pledge to preserve the pride of the school and abide by its motto ‘Service before self’.

Students at Qatar Academy Doha (QAD), a school under Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre-University Education have been recognised for their work in leading an anti-bullying campaign that has run for over six months. The students were awarded certificates of recognition at a special event, and their parents invited to witness the final outcome of a journey of advocacy and learning. Empowered by a sense of agency and the desire to voice their ideas from an early age, students at QAD chose bullying as the topic they wanted to shine a spotlight on through an integrated media campaign called Bullying Hurts Everyone. Led by students, designed for students, and supported by PUE, QF’s Communications Directorate and QF alumni, the students harnessed their range of communication skills to address various types of bullying and emphasise its short and long-term impact on its victims through different types of media. “Primary and senior school students met at a brainstorming session and, after discussions, we agreed that bullying is a major topic we need to address and to try to find a way to help stop this behaviour,” said, Alia Ahmed al-Maadeed, a Grade 4 student at QAD. The campaign focused on how bullying affects everyone, including those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness it, and how it reflects negatively on their mental health and wellness, leading to depression and anxiety as well as skipping school. Having a passion for video creation and multimedia, Hissa al-Hitmi, a Grade 9 student at QAD, was very enthusiastic about the anti-bullying project. “It all started back in March 2020 when Activists in Action, a QAD student-led group which aims to ban plastic bags in Qatar, received a letter from His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, congratulating them on their efforts,” she said. Alia also worked with a group of other students who have an interest in photography to develop photo stories that use the power of images to highlight how a student feels when they are targeted by bullying As a QAD alumna, and a senior communication outreach specialist at QF’s Communications Directorate, Dana El Ghazal co-designed and organised child-centric media masterclasses along with other colleagues of her department to support the students. “I can’t help but think of the saying ‘When one teaches, two learn,” she said. “It’s been an invaluable journey with these students, witnessing youth ambassadors advocating for anti-bullying through their unique pieces of work.”

The debate team of MES Indian School comprising Mohamed Saif and Johnpaul Lorance secured second and fifth positions, and featured among the top 10 speakers in the preparatory and senior categories, respectively, of the Qatar Schools Debate League 2021-2022. Mohamed Saif, Bibasthu Das and Abdul Muqeet represented the preparatory category, while Johnpaul Lorance, David Ninan and Emil John comprised the team for the senior category. The winners were honoured with medals during the felicitation ceremony held at Hamad Bin Khalifa University recently. MES' teacher in-charge of debate Sreejith K N co-ordinated the students’ participation and preparation for the contest. Principal Hameeda Kadar congratulated the winners.

DPS-Modern Indian School (MIS) students won prizes in an inter-school computer projects competition organised by Bright Future International School. Irene Shamjith (III B) and Haniya Haq (III D) created an animated movie on the topic 'Health and Safety of IT' in category I and bagged the first prize. In category II, Khabir Khanna (VI A) and Sanjeev Sundararaj (VI J) explored the software Alice 3.6 and designed a 3-D gameplay ‘EDUVENTURE. In category III, Thaarun Pavallur (VII-D) and Sara (VIII-E) presented an animated video titled 'Apprise for the social surprise' focusing on different perspectives of using social media at different age levels. The students were trained by computer department teachers under the supervision of Arrifa Riaz, head of department, computer science, junior wing.    

Birla Public School has been declared the league runner-up in the Qatar Preparatory School Debate League for season 2021-22 (QPSDL – Girls). The award ceremony was held at Education City recently. The event was organised by Qatar Debate Centre, a member of Qatar Foundation. BPS claimed the title based on the total number of team wins and the total team scores of the top two teams of each school that participated in the league rounds of the QPSDL in the open category. Devipriya Chandhirahasan, Sandra Joice, Devika Manikantan, Liya Joseph K, Petrisha Steven and Aalia Mazhar Khan were members of the debate teams trained by coach Aman Salma. The league witnessed enthusiastic competition among the participants. Sandra Joice (third place) Devipriya Chandhirahasan (fourth place) were among top 10 speakers.    

Ideal Indian School inaugurated its astronomy club with the objective to nurture students’ interest in astronomy and related space sciences and provide an opportunity to experience and enrich knowledge in the field. Ajith Everester, a renowned astro-photographer and Doha resident, was the chief guest. Principal Syed Shoukath Ali presided over the function. The chief guest along with the principal inaugurated the club activities by launching its logo. Students of the girls’ section presented a contemporary dance on the theme “the enigmatic space” In his speech, the principal said that as one of the oldest sciences, astronomy is a part of every culture whose history and roots continue to revolutionise our thinking. In his inaugural message – 'Sky is not the limit', Everester gave an insight into the mysteries of the distant space, astro-photography, the basic operations of telescopes, observation of the sky and other celestial bodies and various wonders of the cosmos. There was an interactive session where enthusiastic students raised a number of queries. Cultural secretary Ebenezer welcomed the gathering. Head boy Ibrahim Ahmed introduced the chief guest and head girl Hanin Shamsheer proposed a vote of thanks. Cultural secretary Anjali introduced the aims, objectives and future activities of the club and also anchored the programme.    

    Shaba Rebin (7K) and Fathima Shifa (7M) of MES Indian School bagged first and third prizes, respectively, in the junior category of an online elocution competition organised by the Global Committee of Pravasi Malayali Federation as part of an international youth festival. The competition was for Keralite students of Classes 6 to 12 in various categories and themes. The elocution contest was on ‘Mahatma Gandhi in the relevance of the present socio-economic systems.' MES principal Hameeda Kadar congratulated the winners.

Nine Malaysian universities are taking part in the two-day Education Malaysia Fair in Doha, providing students with extensive and insightful information on diverse and quality educational opportunities in Malaysia. Organised by MY Aspiration (Malaysia) and led by Education Malaysia Dubai, the event opened Friday at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, City Centre Doha. It is supported by the Malaysian embassy in Doha. The participating universities are: Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, International Medical University, Management and Science University, SEGi University, Sunway University, Swinburne University of Technology Malaysia Campus, Taylor’s University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and the University of Nottingham Malaysia. “The embassy of Malaysia is very happy to have the organiser, Marliza Zorakin Malek (managing director of MY Aspiration), come over to Doha and to restart this process (which had been put on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic) – the usual thing that we do to promote the higher education in Malaysia and to promote universities,” Malaysian ambassador Zamshari Shaharan told reporters on the sidelines of the event. The embassy noted that Malaysian universities rank in the world’s top universities, and with a total of 35 in the top 600, based on QS World University Rankings 2021. The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 shows that 32 Malaysian programmes were placed among the top 100 universities for the study of their academic subject. Five Malaysian universities featured in the QS World University Rankings for 2022, headed by Universiti Malaya (now ranked 65th in the world). According to Malek, some of the nine leading Malaysian universities participating in the fair are recognised by Qatar’s Ministry of Higher Education. She said that these Malaysian universities have different niches, from medical and health sciences to engineering, computer science, and information technology (IT). In a pre-registration conducted among 25 nationalities from Qatar last month, Malek noted that at least one-third are highly interested in medicine, followed by engineering, and computer science and IT. The embassy noted that there are 100,381 international students from 160 countries who are currently pursuing their studies in international schools, colleges, universities, language centres, and training institutes in Malaysia as of December 2021. Of this figure, more than 11,010 students are from Bahrain, Djibouti, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, including expatriate students, and 77 Qataris. Malaysia is also hosting branch campuses of prestigious universities from the UK, the US, Australia, and China. Students pay only a fraction of the cost when studying in Malaysia compared to what they need to pay in the main campus.