2021 Qatar Aeronautical Academy graduation

Qatar Aeronautical Academy (QAA) has celebrated the graduation of a new class of its students in a virtual ceremony across all its platforms and social networking sites.

"Out of its commitment to the standards, plans and precautionary measures to limit the spread of Covid-19, and in its relentless pursuit to implement its plans and training programmes and their continuity in light of the pandemic, the academy was able to continue providing its programmes and training courses through distance learning and digital learning, which was used by major international educational institutions since 2019," QAA said in a press statement on Saturday.

This education system has relied on two methods, distance and blended learning, since the start of the pandemic.

The academy has diverse departments, which constitute the following: Pilot Training Programme, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Programme, Meteorological Programme, Air Traffic Control Programme and Advanced Aviation Management Programme.

QAA obtained the approval of local and international accredited bodies, including the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which adopted the dual learning system in the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Department on March 11, 2020.

With the continuing changes imposed in view of Covid-19 in the field of education and higher education, the aviation safety agency has decided in the new legislation that educational institutions can update their membership and adopt their permanent internal procedures.

It was found that no problems were noticed in the teaching process of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Department at the QAA.

In fact, the agency's inspector praised the efficiency of the educational process and its compliance with the agency's requirements, the statement noted.

Qatar Aeronautical Academy is considered one of the first educational institutions to obtain international accreditation for distance teaching in the region and on a global scale.

The EASA has adopted the file submitted by QAA to obtain this accreditation as a standard for accreditation of other institutions at a later time, which is a new achievement in addition to the achievements of the Qatar Aeronautical Academy at the academic level.

Based on this and on the new policy proposal submitted by QAA, a synchronous virtual learning system was adopted in the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Department — Virtual Classroom Instruction and Synchronous Distance Learning — and a certificate was issued to QAA on March 5, 2021.

This educational system is applicable only to theoretical study.

As for the practical side, it takes place in the laboratories and workshops of the Academy in accordance with the approved standards and procedures.

"Qatar Aeronautical Academy is proud of graduating its students and congratulates them on their perseverance wishing them more success in their future scientific and practical lives," the statement adds.