Closure of villa schools: Are there any other options available?

Published: 22 July 2024

There is no dispute over the importance of having an integrated educational environment with high standards, keeping pace with the requirements of the state and society in terms of quality education, and at the same time maintaining the advanced level achieved by the State of Qatar in international competitiveness indicators.

Also, there is appreciation for the efforts made by the Ministry of Education, its officials and affiliates, to improve education, provide the best technologies and initiatives and harness all capabilities for this purpose.

But …

Have the brothers at the Ministry carefully studied the circular issued regarding the position of schools operating from residential buildings or what are known as ‘villa schools’ and stopping registration in these schools starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, with the licence being cancelled in 2029/2030, i.e. within four years, if they don’t convert themselves into a school with the specifications set by the Ministry by this time, which is expensive, and not sufficiently available, and it is not expected to be achieved within this short period by all targeted schools.

I believe that proceeding with the implementation of this decision will have negative consequences and “painful” repercussions on a significant sector and individuals who have invested a lot in the education sector, and perhaps its “shadow” will fall on other investors who are looking to enter this sector.

These villas or residential buildings that have today been transformed into schools came with the approval of the Ministry of Education, and the owners of these schools made improvements and prepared the “villas” in various aspects to be somewhat suitable for these requirements, and they spent huge sums of money for that purpose.

There are also many owners of “villa” school licenses who have contracts with villa owners for periods exceeding the four years specified by the Ministry, which will force them to pay large sums of money, and losses will accumulate on them. So why do we push this segment into a dangerous slide, and the damage will also extend to the families of these school owners, and we may find some of them on the lists of “debtors.”

Another issue is whether there are currently buildings available in the market that meet the specifications set by the ministry, as there are, according to my information, 40 schools affected by the decision. Can the ministry provide buildings from among the schools affiliated with the ministry that are not in use, at symbolic prices?

Purchasing land of the required area and building the school and facilities represents a huge financial burden. Everyone knows the prices of land and real estate in general, and in areas where schools can be built, the prices will not be less than tens of millions, and it has to be completed within 4 years, starting with the purchase, plans, approvals, contractor, construction… and ending with furnishing.

I think that the options for owners of villa school licenses are very limited, and perhaps a number of them will leave the education sector.

However, this does not prevent our brothers in the Ministry of Education – and we know how keen they are on achieving their goals – from re-examining their decision and examining it from all aspects, whether related to the school headquarters, the workers in them, or the license holders and owners of these schools.

Reexamining does not mean diminishing the importance of the move towards creating educational institutions with integrated specifications, but it can involve postponing the implementation of the decision, or extend the time period granted to license holders, many of whom may suffer significant and multiple harms.

(In arrangement with Al Sharq. The author is editor-in-chief of Al Sharq.)