(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Amna Pervaiz Rao / The Peninsula
Qatar-Finland International School marked 100 years of Finnish independence, in the presence of Riitta Swan, Ambassador of Finland to Qatar.
The event was attended by Fawziya Al Khater, Director of Education Institute in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education; Ewa Polano, Swedish Ambassador to Qatar and representatives from Qatar Airways and Patria.
The evening centred around the celebration of Finland's progress in various fields which include education, health and future planning of these sectors.
Finnish Ambassador delivered a speech on Finland celebrating 100 years of independence, Professor Pekka Puska gave a presentation on ‘Finland's Welfare and Education'.
Secondary class students performed Sandstorm by DJ Darude through xylophones, drums and many more instruments.
A group of students dancing to Karelia-Suite Op.11 Intermezzo by Sibelius (choreographed by SirpaTaulu-Puustinen) representing the different phases of nature.
The final performance of the evening was by the teachers' choir, who sang Finlandia by Sibelius.
To highlight the interaction between Finnish and Qatari counterparts, Juha Repo, Principal of the Qatar-Finland International School, spoke about the strengths of the Finnish education system, as well as remaining open-minded and flexible when applying the principles of system in different contexts.
In her speech, Swan cited Qatar-Finland International School's excellent reputation in Doha with a substantial growth in the number of students from 80 in 2014 to 750 this year.
Talking to The Peninsula, Finnish Ambassador said: 'We have gone through a lot and now we have made it 100 years. 100 years ago my country was extremely poor and had been under Swedish rule for 600 years and 100 year under Russian rule. Today I feel proud of my country to complete 100 years of independence.
'Finland is consistently ranked as one of the highest performing developed countries on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an important tool for measuring education systems worldwide, as well as on various other educational platforms and scales.
'Finland is the most literate of all nations and its workforce is one of the most educated in the world. It is also the fifth most innovative country in the world. Qatar and Finland can also co-operate in tourism since many Finnish nationals want to escape the cold weather and the darkness back home, she added.
She said that Qatar is a 'perfect place to visit from December to February for many European citizens. She hoped to see more Qataris in Finland particularly during the summer.
She lauded Qatar and its national carrier, Qatar Airways, for opening a direct route to Helsinki, and extending the number of flights to twice a day.
'It makes easy for us to come here and for Qataris to come to Finland, she said.
In its own way, the Qatar-Finland School aims to maintain the essential ethos of the Finnish curriculum, whilst developing new ways to accommodate the diverse range of students within the Qatari context.
With more than half its pedagogical staff being Finnish, maintaining a constant and strong link with the Finnish system is a given, however, the demographic diversity of the region is also evident in the fact that 66 nationalities are represented at the school.
The Finns are very proud of the amazing strides their country has made, especially in the latter part of the twentieth century, in providing a comprehensive and quality education for its citizens.
This initiative had already been started in the mid-nineteenth century, and despite major social, economic and political setbacks throughout this period of their history, has flourished.
Thus, the centenary of Finnish independence being celebrated in Qatar was the ideal setting for an intersection between these elements. With an aim of maintaining and developing effective, tried and tested practices, as well as encouraging innovation where possible, the evening was a highly successful event that was enjoyed by all who attended.
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