Doha, October 29 (QNA) - The launch of the Quality Assurance Guide for educational and training centers in Qatar by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) is part of its ongoing efforts to develop performance and improve efficiency and effectiveness in the non-school education and training sectors.

The issuance of the guide reflects the direction of those in charge of the education and training sectors in the State of Qatar, toward raising the level of quality and achieving institutional excellence in these fields, and enabling centers to understand licensing requirements and monitor performance, as well as enhancing the protection of beneficiaries of education and training by ensuring the existence of an accredited institutional environment and clear standards.

Regarding the introduction of the new guide to the quality of educational and training centers, Director of the Educational Services Centers Department at the MOEHE Eman Ali Al Nuaimi told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the guide is an integrated document that enhances the quality of training and education in the State of Qatar to ensure the quality of educational and training outputs, reaching the highest level of quality to achieve the standards.

She indicated that it includes procedures and tools for evaluating centers according to specific processes aimed at raising the efficiency of centers and contributing to improving the services provided.

She added that the guide was built on clear scientific foundations based relying on global quality guides, starting from planning and preparation, setting specific goals for the guide, forming quality teams, analyzing requirements, a strong understanding of the nature of the work of educational and training service centers, and identifying standards, their areas, and indicators of achievement for each standard (KPIs).

Eman Ali Al Nuaimi noted that the international quality standards were reviewed by global accreditation institutions, and official bodies were consulted to review the guide. An implementation plan was developed, starting with the pilot phase and culminating in the final version and distribution to all educational service centers.

Regarding the main objectives that the guide aims to achieve, the Director of the Educational Services Centers Department at the MOEHE indicated that the guide seeks to establish a system for evaluating the performance of educational and training centers according to unified procedures that are characterized by fairness through the application of national standards to ensure the quality of educational and training centers to achieve the objectives of evaluating the quality of performance of educational and training service centers, improving the work environment in educational and training centers to develop individuals' lifelong skills for the development of institutions and society, raising the standards of educational and training centers licensed by the MOEHE to ensure the quality of services provided, building an institutional culture that promotes the best quality standards in the educational and training environment in educational services centers, in addition to motivating educational services centers to provide regular and continuous training programs in partnership with employers, as well as unifying the procedures that are carried out when evaluating centers to achieve quality in the processes and outputs of educational and training service centers, and working to achieve fairness and transparency in monitoring the performance of educational and training centers.

Eman Ali Al Nuaimi revealed the entities that reviewed the guide, which are universities and institutions specializing in accreditation and quality inside and outside the State of Qatar. They are: Qatar Foundation's Pre-University Education, Community College, University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST), WASC (a US-based academic accreditation organization), the National Committee for Qualifications and Academic Accreditation, the Ministry’s Assessment Affairs Sector, the Department of Educational Planning, Policies and Innovation, and the Assistant Undersecretary for Special Education Affairs.

The Director of the Educational Services Centers Department at the MOEHE explained that the guide contributes to achieving institutional development for all educational services centers. The goal of the classification is to know the level of performance of each center compared to the levels of achieving the standards, and to know the aspects of strength and improvement for each center according to the performance indicators and the verbal rating scale for each standard, and to accurately identify the aspects that require improvement from each center to achieve a higher quality of work. There are also models for measurement through tools specific to each standard according to specific evidence for each indicator. Examples of this have been included in the guide to introduce the centers to the type of evidence that must be available when judging the quality of work for each standard.

Regarding the evaluation process' impact on the work of educational and training centers, Director of Educational Services Centers Department at MOEHE Eman Al Nuaimi said that the Quality Assurance Guide helps centers have an integrated quality evaluation system for their operations and services, setting performance levels to be reach and ensuring benefits for service recipients.

Al Nuaimi pointed out that the guide sets various metrics that measure all aspects of a center's work in meeting standards, helping centers identify and address shortcomings before evaluation.

Moreover, the evaluation committee will provide each center with a final report highlighting strengths and areas for improvement, thereby enabling centers to develop a performance improvement plan supervised by specialists in the Educational Services Centers Supervision Section of the department, she added.

The Director of Educational Services Centers Department at MOEHE stressed to QNA that the department's objective is to enhance the centers' performance and improve the quality of their work rather than focus on penalties and grading.

She indicated that centers that receive an Excellent grade undergo re-evaluation after four years; those with a Good grade, after three; Acceptable after two years; whereas those that receive a Weak grade are evaluated after a year.

Al Nuaimi also noted that centers receiving an Excellent grade are granted the following benefits: A Certificate of Excellence in Evaluation and Quality Accreditation from the Ministry; Recognition by the Assistant Undersecretary for Private Education Affairs at MOEHE for quality; Nomination to participate in the Ministry's strategic projects; Nomination to collaborate with various ministries, government, and semi-government institutions in Qatar to deliver educational and training programs.

These privileges help increase private sector investment in these centers and support the transfer of their expertise to the local community, she added.

On the other hand, centers that received two consecutive Weak grades will be subject to penalties, according to shortcomings identified in the evaluation report, with Article No. 14 of Law No. 18 of 2015 applied concerning the decline in the quality of licensed services to below required levels.

Al Nuaimi added that measures include issuing a warning to amend violations within a specified period, partial or full deduction of the financial guarantee, license suspension for up to one month per period, and finally, license cancellation.

According to experts, the launch of the Quality Assurance Guide for Educational and Training Centers by the Ministry represents a fundamental shift in its approach to supervision and institutional development within the education and training sector.

The guide ensures full alignment between quality standards and practical implementation with the state's vision, resulting in a more capable and knowledgeable society, more professional centers that complement the educational process, and increased public trust, with the guide not merely being just a manual but a roadmap toward excellence and advancement in the quality of education and training in an era of rapid change. (QNA)