22-01-2023
Al-Faleh Educational Holding Company Q.P.S.C. To announce that Doha Academy, Al Waab Branch and Salwa Branch, has obtained full and immediate international accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Doha Academy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Al Faleh Education Holding Company Q.P.S.C., has been admitted to membership of the NEASC and recognized as a group of fully accredited schools with immediate effect. This follows the success of the schools in obtaining Qatar National School Accreditation (“QNSA”) earlier in 2022. NEASC is an independent, voluntary, non-profit organization that works with public, charter, and international schools in more than 85 countries around the world to assess, support, and promote higher education quality for all students through accreditation, professional assistance and the pursuit of best practice.
Attaining full international accreditation follows an intensive 14-month period at Doha Academy, including significant investment and staff training. NEASC's "Essential Standards" cover all aspects of a school's operational and strategic activities. An equal assessment focus is placed during visits on learning and teaching, owner and administrative leadership, health and safety, finance and resources, and ethical values. After inspections that took place from mid-to-late October 2022, the Association informed Doha Academy that its schools significantly meet all five of the NEASC's "core standards" and that it believes the schools can follow its "ACE Education" framework. NEASC provides a differentiated accreditation pathway, in which ACE teaching is the highest and is recommended only for schools that NEASC believes can provide research-based feedback to enhance learning.
Doha Academy Al Waab Branch and Salwa Branch are now diligently preparing for the first phase of the ACE Education Trail, which asks schools to focus more on learning and teaching. As part of this preparation, which culminates in follow-up external assessments in early 2024, schools are placing a particular focus on language support and the use of technology in the classroom.
Upon receiving the news of the accreditation, Doha Academy General Manager Edward Cooper said, “This success is a testament to our team’s ability to accurately self-assess, plan and implement change, and work collaboratively to achieve goals in a relatively short time frame.” Mr. Cooper added, “Our achievement with QNSA showed that schools were indeed performing at a high level. However, there are many aspects of international accreditation that do not necessarily represent the expectations or requirements of national accreditation. Therefore, schools have come a long way over the past 14 months. We went back to school in January in preparation for follow-up visits about 12 months later.” “What is particularly effective in working with NEASC is the conversation about the ‘impact of our input’ – in other words, they expect us to think about the desired impact of our work and investment, how this relates to our vision and mission and to understand what high-quality education looks like in our context. It is also great for Doha Academy that our scheduling with NEASC is regularly followed up, our ongoing development is checked and more members of our community are met often.”
Dr. Sheikha Aisha Faleh Al-Thani, Founder and Chairman of Al-Faleh Educational Holding Company stated: “The accreditation represents the culmination of the hard work of the team. We aim to help learners achieve their academic goals and provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve their professional future, God willing.”
Sheikha Anwar Al-Thani, CEO of Al-Faleh Educational Holding Company, expressed her gratitude to everyone who contributed to this achievement. It also announced the news of adding two more schools to the group very soon that bear the quality associated with Al-Faleh Education Holding Company. It also promised to expand in the field of higher education in the holding company.