08 Mar 2015
Doha, 8 March 2015. At the ‘Aspire For Education II’ conference to be held at Aspire Academy on March 9 and 10, international experts will address the topic ‘Academic Support – Collaboration for Success’.
Launching the ‘Aspire For Education’ series two years ago was a really important step forward for us. After all, education is a bit like sport: we are constantly striving to be at the absolute cutting edge. This is the only way to provide our student-athletes with the best possible support on their career path. In 2013 the emphasis was on ‘Career Counselling’, and working together towards a better career decision. The topic of this year’s event, which takes place under the patronage of HE Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hammadi, Minister of Education and Higher Education, is ‘Academic Support – Collaboration for Success’.
Studies show that between 10 and 15 percent of students are affected in a whole range of areas such as attention span, memory and linguistic ability. If teachers fail to respond in the right way, it can be highly detrimental to a child’s education – but it also works both ways. That’s why ‘Aspire For Education II’ will also be addressing these “hidden disabilities” at the conference. “We want to raise awareness for people with learning disabilities and tell these students that they are not alone with their challenges. On the other hand we want to make the academic support specialists aware that providing specialized services for students with special educational needs requires the collaboration of the entire school staff and the families,” says Badr-Al Hay, Director of Education and Student Care at Aspire Academy.
Around 200 delegates from Qatar, the Arab world, the Gulf Region and other parts of the world will gather at Aspire Academy in March to attend lectures and workshops that will address this major topic. A number of international experts have once again been invited to speak, including American Kathy Perez, an acclaimed international educational consultant, author and motivational speaker specialising in innovative instructional strategies, literacy for struggling students and leadership development. Other prominent speakers are Dr Gad Elbeheri, an expert in dyslexia from the Australian College of Kuwait and Dr Moayyad Al-Homidi from KAU University in Saudi Arabia.
“We are looking forward to welcoming several international participants and colleagues from other Qatari schools to the ‘Aspire For Education II’ conference. We strongly believe in collaboration between all school professionals to give students the opportunity to enjoy a positive learning experience in a safe school environment. We hope this conference will offer participants the chance for sharing knowledge and experience to improve the quality of academic support services and enhance their awareness among schools, families and society,” says Al-Hay.