'There will be a “window for registration” each year, with the exact dates being announced in a circular from the Private Schools Affairs Directorate. For example, the registration window for 2016/2017 will be from 2nd March to 15th October. Any registrations outside these dates will require the prior approval of the Private Education Affairs Department.'
'Each of the various education systems has a set of requirements related to admission of students to the school. As the various education systems use different names for specific grades and year groups, an equivalency table for international education systems was developed (included in the Guidelines for the Admission of Students into Private Schools in the State of Qatar). Please refer to this equivalency table in the guidelines for admission of students in private schools in Qatar Appendix 1
The primary consideration when placing a student in an appropriate grade/year group, will be their age as well as and the documentation provided by the previous school. The school and parent(s) should refer to the equivalency table appendix 1 to the Guidelines mentioned above to identify the grade/year group and inform the parent (s) on the most appropriate year/grade for the student.'
'Only in exceptional circumstances, with the approval of MOE, if it is agreed that it is in the best educational, developmental and emotional interests of the child. The school is required to obtain the approval from the Directorate of Private Schools Affairs. This should be done prior to enrolling the student and the school should ensure that the parents are fully aware of the immediate and long-term implications of such a decision. Parents will be required to sign a consent form.'
'Students may not skip a year or grade to a higher grade/year. Such upgrade will not be accepted by the MoE system. It is therefore better to place him/her in the appropriate grade.'
'Students who are more than a year older than the appropriate grade/year as stipulated in Appendix 1 of the guidelines for student registration may not be registered at lower grades/years. Therefore, such students are to be transferred to evening schools or parallel education which is available in Qatar for most curricula.
There is a list of schools that offer parallel education, which is updated annually and announced by the MoE.'
'All schools must comply with registering students on the MOE system. For any changes in the registration, approval from the Department of Private School Affairs must be obtained and the school must provide adequate justifications.'
'Students’ admission process in secondary stage might be affected by the curriculum and the general assessment system in the school. For example, if a secondary stage student (year 11, 12 or 13) in a British curriculum school wishes to move to another school that offers the same curriculum, his/her parents need to ensure that the school to which the student is moving to offers the same program (electives). Furthermore, students and parents, especially Qataris, need to gather enough information and data about the system to which the student will move to, and ensure that the subjects the student would be studying will be accredited by the department of equivalency and authentication in the MOE. The student might be required to retake a year if the electives are different.'
'Schools can only register students through the MOEs Student Registration System. The Ministry of Education will monitor schools’ adherence to these guidelines and instructions, and will ask schools to demonstrate such adherence. Schools that do not adhere to such instructions may be subject to penalties.'
'1. Identification card or valid passport of the student (sight of the original, plus a copy).
2. Birth certificate of the student (sight of the original, plus a copy)
3. A valid residency permit for all non-Qataris students (sight of the original, plus a copy). or
4. A valid temporary residency permit issued by the Ministry of Interior, where applicable (sight of the original, plus a copy). The nationality should be recorded as “Living in the State of Qatar”.
5. Two recent photographs.
6. Health record documents for all Qatari and resident students between the ages of three and six.
7. A copy of the identification card or the passport of one of the parents.
8. A letter of employment issued by the sponsor.
9. The last schools report card and/or certification for the student.'
'Any student without a personal ID number or a visa that is less than a year issued by the Ministry of Interior in the State of Qatar is not allowed to be registered in a school.'
'Equivalency and attestation of certificates from the Evaluation Institute for students coming from abroad will not be requirement. The certificates and documents issued by the previous school will be used and considered in student placement and acceptance. In addition, the school will assess the student’s level and use the equivalency table to identify the appropriate class for the student.'
'For students who are moving from the private schools sector to the public schools sector, the receiving school must ensure that the certificate from the previous school is authenticated and that the equivalency process in accordance with the regulations of the MOE. The student will then be placed in the appropriate grade in accordance with the recommendation of the Attestation and Equivalency Section.'
'Parents may choose to transfer their children between private schools without the need to obtain permission from the MOE, provided that there are vacancies at the appropriate grade/year group in the receiving school. Since the MOE has a students’ database for all students, including private schools, it is not possible to register the student in more than one school. In order to ensure students’ registration and availability of vacancies in a school, we ask parents to provide us with a written approval from the new school in order to transfer the name of the student in the database from his old school.'