(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Philippine School Doha (PSD), 'the largest Filipino school outside the Philippines in terms of student population,' celebrated its 25th founding anniversary at the Al Rayyan Sports Club on Friday.
The event, graced by former and current PTA officials and board of trustees, was highlighted by field demonstrations from students in all grade levels. The performances were part of a week-long celebration to mark a milestone in the school's history in Qatar.
During his welcome speech, PSD principal Alexander Acosta stressed on the milestones achieved by the school's past and present administration, and assured parents and students of world-class, quality education.
Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of the event, Acosta said PSD aims to be an internationally-recognised institution, and the administration is waiting for the green light from the Philippines' Department of Education (DepEd) to change the school's name to Philippine Science School Doha (PSSD).
The PSD mascot makes its inaugural appearance during the 25th founding anniversary celebrations. PICTURE: Ram Chand
Parents and guests at the grandstand join in the singing.
'As PSSD, the first Philippine science high school in the Middle East, we are true to our promise that the quality of education we provide to our students is world-class knowing that we have highly-qualified teachers and a well-equipped school, Acosta said.
'Once we receive information from DepEd by October this year, we can have a ceremonial lowering of the PSD flag and then hoist the new PSSD flag. This is what we are hoping for in the coming period, he continued.
PSD board of trustees chairman Gerardo P Macasa Jr said the school follows stringent standards when accepting faculty and mentors, who are required to elevate the degree of their educational qualifications.
'At the minimum, our teachers hold masters degrees although most of them already earned their doctorate degrees. And since we already have quality teachers, this makes it easier for the school to produce quality students.
'This has been clearly reflected on the academic and extracurricular competitions that PSD students have won; the most recent was a GCC-wide competition held in Bahrain where the school emerged as the back-to-back champion, he noted.
PSD board of directors president Joseph Timothy Rivera also said PSD 'has always excelled in the field of education and is considered as 'one of the best schools in the Middle East.
'There is no doubt that the quality of education at PSD is now well-renowned within the expatriate community, which is why we had started bringing in foreign students, River pointed out.
He added: 'We have a certain quota for foreign students from K1 all the way to grade 12. And the challenge is mounting considering that Philippine School Doha is the largest Filipino school outside the Philippines in terms of student population.
Last updated: September 29 2017 08:30 PM
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