The Together Project in Qatar

Bridging Futures, Uniting Communities: Transforming Education in Qatar

Together Project unites government reforms, private sectors, and civil society bodies to ensure quality education for every child. We launched five 'Assalam Schools', providing state-of-the-art education for free to at-risk youth through innovative solutions targeting pressing educational barriers. The access-quality gap was evened for over 11,000 children from low-income communities in Qatar.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2017

Established

11K

Children

1

Countries

Target group

Community

Updated

May 2024

We envision a world where every child, regardless of their socio-economic background, has access to quality education. This unique partnership approach among ministerial entities, donor bodies and grassroot communities aims to reduce educational inequality and foster inclusive education through cost-effective and sustainable educational models addressing barriers and unique needs of our children.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Children from vulnerable communities in Qatar face barriers such as financial constraints, disrupted education, special needs, and language issues. The project addresses these challenges by offering alternative tracks, previously unavailable, ensuring equitable education for all children. The model aims to ensure government collaboration, advocacy and centralization of local efforts and resources.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Assalam schools' initiation involves identifying children (especially migrants), their barriers, and developing tailored solutions. A centralized mechanism for child identification and a centralized application management platform for enrollment has been established. These schools implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOEHE), charitable organizations, and community partners offer tuition-free alternative education programs, such as; accelerated learning, academic recovery, adult education, vocational pathways, and home schooling.
The project also advocates for and implements policy and procedural reforms in collaboration with Ministry of Interior (MOI) such as residency renewal linked to school enrollment and with the MOEHE such as ensuring compulsory child enrollment and status registration on the National portals by caregivers.

How has it been spreading?

Since inception, the Project has benefited over 11,000 children from 40 nationalities and secured QAR 186 million in funding. Key achievements include implementing alternative educational pathways previously unavailable in the private education sector in Qatar. Recent initiatives include skill-based learning with local farms, inclusive education for children with special needs, psychological support through local health providers, and career development services ensuring a whole-school model. Goals for the next 2-3 years include establishing the Sixth Assalam School for primary-aged children, the Seventh Assalam School for children with disabilities, and closing data gaps by constant monitoring through ministerial platforms, aiming for zero out-of-school children in Qatar by 2024-2025.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

To adopt this innovation, interested parties should contact Project Management at Education Above All Foundation for a detailed implementation guide. In general, the steps towards the successful implementation of such model includes:
- Intensive Community Outreach and Engagement
- Engagement and Partnership with local NGOs with educational funding
- Collaboration with Relevant Ministerial Bodies

Implementation steps

Community Outreach

Conduct outreach activities to identify the major segments of the population effected by the barriers to education. Establish a connection with community leaders/representatives to ensure constant communication of unique educational needs and challenges through data sharing.

Data Analysis and Need Assessment

Conduct an in-depth analysis of data available and further gathered to identify the children facing barriers to education and their needs. Design and adapt solutions to address these needs based on international best practices, cost-effectiveness and sustainability in the national context.

Donor Identification and Partnership

Identify local charitable entities with similar mandates to secure a long-term sustainable pool of operational funds to implement educational initiatives in collaboration with and support of government bodies. Additionally, identify local potential partners for in kind contributions towards the overall operations.

Government Collaboration

Establish partnership agreement with the local ministry for the implementation of educational initiatives and collaboratively establish alternative educational pathways and models for nationwide recognition and seamless transition from alternative to mainstream educational pathways both locally and internationally.

Implementation Model and Partnership

Identify an implementing partner through a transparent process and criteria to ensure a right match between the solution and partner's expertise.

Monitoring and Evaluation

In partnership with local ministerial bodies, ensure monitoring of the implemented programs and its operations through a concrete established monitoring framework and KPIs. In case of any gaps in performance of the initiatives, ensure capacity building practices through targeted partnerships.