Doha, November 08 (QNA) - The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, through the Department of Educational Services Centers within the Special Education Affairs Sector, honored 87 educational services centers—55 supplementary tutoring centers and 32 centers for the education and training of individuals with disabilities—for taking part in the Giving That Makes an Impact initiative, which offered free or discounted educational and rehabilitation services to approximately 2,900 students.

The initiative supports the Ministry's efforts to promote social responsibility and ease the financial burden on families. By offering educational and rehabilitation opportunities to students whose families struggle to afford such services, it advances equal educational opportunity, supports students with disabilities, and strengthens community partnerships between the Ministry and special educational services centers.

Speaking at the honoring ceremony, Omar Abdulaziz Al Naama, Assistant Undersecretary for Special Education Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said the initiative embodies the values of social solidarity and responsibility. It turns the spirit of giving into practical action that has a tangible, positive effect on the lives of students and their families. He commended the educational services centers for their voluntary support, which reflects their keen awareness of the community's needs.

He explained that the Ministry's role is to highlight and recognize these efforts and bring them together under the umbrella of the initiative. This approach encourages such contributions to continue and expand, while reinforcing the special sector's role as an active partner in supporting the education system and serving the community. He noted that the participating centers did more than provide educational services: they enabled students to continue their learning, helped students with disabilities develop their skills, and fostered their independence and social participation. He stressed the importance of building on this experience to expand initiatives that deliver sustainable impact.

Al Naama concluded his remarks by stressing that true giving is not measured solely by what we offer, but by the opportunities we create, the lives we help transform, and the legacy we leave behind.

For her part, Director of the Educational Services Centers Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Iman Ali Al Nuaimi outlined the initiative's key achievements and success indicators, explaining that it grew out of the centers' own voluntary efforts as part of their social responsibility, and that it achieved a participation rate of 94 percent among centers for the education and training of individuals with disabilities and approximately 59 percent among special tutoring centers.

She noted that the services provided by the centers for individuals with disabilities included speech and language therapy, behavioral modification, and the development of motor, cognitive, functional, sensory, and social skills, as well as vocational training and rehabilitation programs.

She added that these centers also created job opportunities for 21 individuals with disabilities, supporting their integration into society and strengthening their independence. Tutoring centers, she said, provided educational services free of charge or at a reduced cost, covering Qatari, international, and expatriate community curricula across various grade levels and subjects. They also supplied school supplies and educational toys, offered complimentary subscriptions to international exam preparation platforms, and provided free transportation.

The State of Qatar currently has 192 licensed educational and training service centers. They offer eight primary types of services: tutoring, language instruction, computer skills training, education and training for individuals with disabilities, mental sports, visual arts, management training, and educational training. Together, these services contribute to skill development, capacity building, and overall support for the education and training ecosystem. (QNA)