New licensing system cuts costs for Qatar’s private schools

Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education has recorded significant cost and efficiency gains following the rollout of the Advanced Licensing System for Private Schools and Kindergartens, with licence renewal expenses falling by nearly 80 per cent compared with the previous process.

The system, developed in partnership with the private sector, has streamlined procedures and eased both financial and administrative burdens on investors and school owners across the private education sector, the ministry said.

In comments shared on the X platform, the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Lolwa bint Rashid Al Khater, said the new framework had addressed long-standing challenges associated with annual licence renewals.

“By extending renewal periods and digitising procedures, the system has eliminated lengthy bureaucratic processes that previously required significant time and resources from private school operators each year,” she said.

Under the updated framework, private schools and kindergartens are now required to renew their licences every three years instead of annually. In addition, schools that meet the ministry’s quality standards can obtain an advanced educational licence valid for five years, providing an incentive for excellence and supporting long-term planning and institutional stability.

The minister said the system operates through the Private Education Establishments Licensing Platform, a smart electronic portal that consolidates all licensing procedures into a single digital interface. The platform also issues automatic notifications to help schools avoid delays and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.

Dr Rania Mohammed, Director of the Private Schools and Kindergartens Department and Acting Director of the Private Schools Licensing Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, explained that the system offers two types of licences. These include a basic educational licence, issued to all private schools and kindergartens for three years, and an advanced educational licence granted to distinguished schools in line with specific standards set by the ministry.

Private school owners have welcomed the changes. Dr Abdulrahman Al Harmi, licence holder of Eadad International Academy, said the impact of the new system was clear from the outset, particularly in reducing administrative complexity.

Sheikh Mansour Jassim Thani Jassim Al Thani, licence holder of King’s College Doha, said the longer licensing periods enable school owners to plan more strategically for the future.