Qatar- Schools given 2 years to meet SEC regulations 

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Many private schools here with high number of students would be forced to restrict admissions or increase their facilities to comply with the new rules and regulations of the Supreme Education Council (SEC).

The SEC has introduced strict licensing procedures for new private schools, while the existing schools have been given two years time to comply with the SEC requirements.

Some private and community schools are accommodating up to 40 students in a single classroom, in the absence of adequate building facilities.

This would not be possible in future since the SEC has issued new guidelines regarding the school buildings and other facilities.

Officials of a new Indian school that is slated to open soon said, they had to go through rigorous and elaborate procedures to obtain a licence from the SEC.

One of the requirements was related to the classrooms. The school was told to provide a minimum two square metre space to every student in a class room.

We have classes with an average area of 35 square metres and we would put up about 15 student in a classroom, said Girija Baiju, Principal of the Bhavans Public School.

She said the school had to provide full details of the subjects to be taught in every class, along with details of the school facilities, while applying for the licence.

The licence was issued after elaborate inspections involving different authorities including the municipality and the Civil Defence Department.

We are not using any portacabins as classes since it is not permitted any more, said Advocate C K Menon, chairman of the schools managing committee.

Bhavans is functioning in a renovated school building in Wakrah.

In future many private schools here will be forced to reduce the number of students to provide better facilities, as per the requirements of the Supreme Education Council. This means that there is space for more schools to meet the demands of the increasing expatriate population, added Menon, while explaining the reasons for opening a new Indian school in Qatar.