Cambridge Young Learners Exams at Compass International School

The Cambridge Young Learners Exams are a series of motivational English language tests aimed at children, driven by world class research and a profound commitment to deliver the English language to students. Over 15,000 universities around the world accept the Cambridge English Exams and Compass International School Doha offers the Cambridge Young Learners exam to all English as an Additional Language (EAL) children, through the Doha British Council.It is designed for non-native speakers of English and has three different levels: Starters, Movers and Flyers. The teachers prepare the children during their Extra Curricular Activities and the Doha British Council sends the examiners to administer the exam and award the certificates. The exam is a very strong motivation for the EAL kids to gain a greater understanding and knowledge of English as they have a specific target to aim for. The certificate is recognised all over the world, thus the student’s ability in English can be proved in other countries. The exam is child-friendly; however, the children find themselves faced with a challenge where they have to show their best learning and best knowledge. This prepares them for real life situations (exams at the university, IB, GCSE etc) as they prepare to be lifelong learners.Sri Lankan school students participate in National Day celebrationsStudents of the Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha (SSLSD) participated in the Qatar National Day celebrations at Asian Town. Students from both Middle and Upper sections participated in the parade on the occasion. The students also presented performances in the Community Show.C K Menon bereavedVeteran educator Rajam Marar, 87, passed away in Kochi in the Southern Indian state of Kerala on Thursday. The wife of Late Raman Kutty Marar, Rajam leaves behind her children Krishna Kumar Marar and Jayashree Krishna Menon, wife of prominent Non-Resident Indian (NRI) entrepreneur of Qatar and Chairman of Behzad Group of Companies C K Menon. Menon is also the Vice-Chairman of Norka Roots, Government of Kerala.Rajam Marar, who was a widely respected teacher, had also served as the Vice Principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Gandhi Nagar, Ernakulam in the mid-1980s.She was cremated at Ravipuram electric crematorium in Kochi on Friday.Anjana Krishna Menon, Director of Bhavan’s Public School in Doha; Sreeranjini Krishna Menon (UK); and J K Menon, Managing Director of Behzad Group and Ali Bin Nasser al Misnad Group, Doha; are among her grandchildren.Six schools participate in under-12 football tournament at PISQ

The 1st Quaid-e-Azam Inter-School Under 12 Football Tournament was organised by Pakistan International School Qatar (PISQ) recently. The Final Match was played between DPS Modern Indian School (DPS-MIS) and Iranian School. The DPS-MIS managed a comfortable win over their competitors, scoring four goals to one. The chief guest was Jassim Ali, Manager of the Al Ahli Football Club. PISQ Principal Nargis Raza Otho and other officials and staff members of the school also attended. A total of seven teams from six schools participated in the tournament, with each team consisting of seven players with three reserve players. Each match was 25 minutes long. Winners were awarded at the end of the final match in a prize distribution ceremony. Muqarab Khan was declared the Best Player of the Tournament.Long time ex-resident of Doha passes awayPuthiyandi Ali Mohamed Haji, one of the first Indian expatriates to arrive in Qatar in the early 50s, passed away yesterday in Mahe enclave, which is part of the Southern Indian Union Territory of Puducherry. He was 94. Haji leaves behind his six children and their families.Haji, who left Doha in the mid-80s, after working for almost 30 years in this country’s electricity department, was the founder of Thalassery and Mahe Association of Qatar (TAMUQ), which was perhaps the first forum of Indian expatriates in Qatar, recalled former president of Mahe Association of Qatar and ex-president of the MES Indian School Managing Committee M P Saleem. Haji worked in the electricity department between 1955 and 1984, he said. Saleem and his brother M P Ashique, a singer in the Indian community, are nephews of Mohamed Haji. Saleem is also the Qatar Chapter president of the Pravasi Malayali Federation. Saleem recollected that his uncle arrived in a lounge from Mumbai and got down in Qatar thinking that it was Bahrain. “While recalling his early days, he (Mohamed Haji) told me that he realised that he landed in Qatar only on the third day of his arrival,” said Saleem.   Some of the old timers in the country’s Indian community recalled that Haji was instrumental in bringing a large number of expatriates to Qatar from Mahe, Thalassery and its surroundings during his stint in the country. One of them recalled that Haji was one of the first Indians to have his family in Doha, consisting of his late wife Khadeeja and six children. “Mohamed Haji was a benevolent person and was in the forefront of several charitable and humanitarian activities in the country’s Indian expatriate community,” he said. A prayer service will be held for Mohamed Haji at the mosque, near Al Meera Co-operative in Al Muntaza area today after Isha prayers.Seashore marks National Day with blood donation driveThe Seashore Group of Companies organised a blood donation drive at Al Khor on December 18 as part of the group’s initiatives to make Qatar National Day memorable. The company’s social responsibility team conducted the drive with the theme ‘Each Drop for Qatar’. It was open to the entire community of Al Khor. “Our idea was to make people aware of the importance of blood donation, and what better way to do it than as a part of our National Day celebrations,” said Mohammed Ali, the Managing Director of Seashore Group. “Through this initiative, Seashore Group is trying to urge people to donate blood and save lives. We are sure that the residents of Al Khor will respond positively to this initiative.”The Group also organised a beach clean-up drive at Al Dhakira Beach on December 17. The clean-up activities were done entirely by Seashore employees. Mohammed Ali, the MD, said, “We have always firmly believed in following a policy of ‘Green Qatar, Clean Qatar’ and that the preservation of the environment is everyone’s responsibility. This clean-up drive is just an extension of that firm belief. Our employees have already responded enthusiastically to our call for volunteers and with their support, we will surely make Al Dhakira Beach completely clean. Seashore considers the Al Khor community to be their source of strength and this is our way of giving back to the community.”