In a significant move to alleviate the long-standing admission crisis faced by the Indian expatriate community in Qatar, five Indian schools following the CBSE curriculum have received approval to operate in two shifts for the academic year 2024-25. These schools will now offer both morning and evening sessions, allowing greater flexibility and addressing the shortage of seats. The schools permitted to implement this change are MES Indian School, Doha Modern Indian School (DMIS), MES Abu Hamur Branch, Shantiniketan Indian School (SIS), and Ideal Indian School (IIS).
The evening shift will be available for students from KG1 to Grade 8, with classes running from 2 pm to 7 pm. MES Principal Hamida Khader confirmed that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has approved the introduction of the afternoon shifts at both MES campuses. Admission to the evening session is limited to students who were unable to secure seats in any other school due to limited availability.
Shantiniketan Indian School has already received 4,000 applications for the evening shift, while morning classes will continue as usual. This change is expected to provide relief to the growing Indian expatriate population in Qatar, where the lack of affordable school seats has caused a significant challenge, especially for middle-class families. Though new schools have not been established in recent years, this decision is seen as a crucial step in easing the pressure on existing educational institutions.
