Doha: Jasour – News Desk
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education allows parents of Qatari students with special needs to apply for an evaluation to receive educational vouchers designated for students with special needs. The student is evaluated to determine the required services, and then the appropriate voucher level is assigned to cover their tuition fees in private schools accredited for educational vouchers.
The educational vouchers are divided into three levels based on the type and intensity of services required, with the total value of each voucher as follows:
QAR 43,000 for the first support level
QAR 53,000 for the second support level
QAR 78,000 for the third support level
This service targets Qatari students with special needs who wish to study in private schools, within the following categories:
Intellectual disabilities and their associated syndromes
Multiple disabilities (more than one disability)
Physical and motor disabilities
Autism spectrum disorder
Hearing impairment
Severe visual impairment and blindness
To apply, parents need to follow these steps:
Access the “Maaref” portal for public services on the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s website.
Select “Services for Students with Special Needs” and click on “Educational Vouchers for Qatari Students with Special Needs.”
Click on “Start Service” and then log in using the username and password (the same as those for e-learning) or create a new account.
Choose to add a new application.
Fill in the required data and attach the following documents:
A recent personal photo of the student.
A medical report issued by one of the accredited medical institutions within the state (Hamad Medical Corporation, Rumaila Hospital, Al-Maha Children’s Specialized Care Center, Sidra Medicine), noting that the report should not be older than two years from the date of application.
Specify the type of disability from the list of disabilities included in the educational vouchers for students with special needs mentioned above.
Submit the application.
After submitting the application, specialists will review it, and the parent will receive a text message indicating whether the application is accepted, rejected, or requires additional information.
If the application is accepted, the parent must book an appointment for the student’s evaluation session through the link provided in the text message.
The student’s evaluation session is conducted at the ministry’s service center by a multidisciplinary team to determine the appropriate level of support and issue a document outlining the student’s service needs.
After obtaining the document outlining the student’s service needs, the parent completes the process of obtaining the educational voucher through the school according to the usual procedures for private schools.
