Summary

The Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Koumbou Boly Barry, visited Qatar from 8 to 16 December 2019. The aim of the visit was to gather first-hand information on the effectiveness of the right to free, quality and inclusive education for all, and to engage in a dialogue with and offer recommendations to the Government and other stakeholders in that regard.

The Special Rapporteur congratulates Qatar for the priority granted to establishing quality education for all, and for the many measures and programmes adopted in this regard. She is particularly impressed by the will demonstrated by many stakeholders “to build a modern world-class educational system that provides students with a first-rate education, comparable to that offered anywhere in the world”, as part of the National Vision 2030. She also welcomes the strong involvement of Qatar in regional and international cooperation to promote the right to education for all. The crucial work of the Education Above All foundation and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is making a real difference for many people within and outside Qatar.

Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur identified a number of challenges that should be addressed, bearing in mind the State’s recent accession to the two International Covenants on Human Rights. In particular, while Qatar should be congratulated for maintaining and valuing its public schools, the Special Rapporteur expresses concern about what appears to be an increasing over-reliance on the role of the private sector, especially when it comes to educating children of migrant workers. Furthermore, education is not free of charge for a very high proportion of children residing in Qatar, particularly non-Qatari children, in contravention of provisions of international human rights law.