Home to over 70 nationalities of students and staff, how does ACS Doha get the balance right between being international but operating in a local context? Head of School, Robert Cody, shares his thoughts
Last year, ACS Doha marked its tenth anniversary. Operating in a highly competitive market, the school has gone from strength to strength in Qatar, culminating in opening its landmark new campus in 2020. Home to over 70 nationalities of students and staff, how does ACS Doha get the balance right between being international but operating in a local context?
Head of School, Robert Cody, shares his thoughts.
When it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, one of the first groups you should include is the local people, the local culture and the local traditions.
However, at ACS Doha, we also need to balance that with being an international school and understanding the diversity, equity and inclusion within the entire community I always tell our parents that many times when you try to stay balanced, two opposite sides might be dissatisfied with you. But if you can clearly state the "why", our parents will understand the importance and challenges of honouring each member of our community.
Welcome everybody, and act with kindness are ACS values that particularly resonate and support these conflicting situations.
Mostly, it’s about balancing the norms and traditions of the country you’re living in and understanding that you need to be open to the inclusion of everybody. It isn’t easy at all. But if your heart is in the right place and if you have the right people you’re asking for feedback, it can be done effectively and with kindness.
I have a prayer clock in my office. I don’t pray, but I want to know when I should - or shouldn’t - call parents. Next year, I want as many country calendars open as possible to have more information. Knowing the staff, the parents and the information available is essential to making the best decision possible.
Of course, you know that you’re probably not going to be able to make everybody happy by your decision.
Many people choose to move overseas and those are the like-minded parents we have within our ACS Doha school community.
There are schools in Qatar that you could go to, to almost be like you’re in your own country, and I think our parents understand that’s not why they went overseas; that’s not why they’re visiting another country. It’s about opportunity. People are coming to Qatar for an opportunity for themselves and they want to pick a school that gives their kids the same opportunity in learning so they can be ready for their future.
I wanted my family to live in a Buddhist country, so my family went to Cambodia. Then we decided we wanted our kids to live in a Muslim country, so we went to Qatar. It was a mindful choice. Those are the like-minded parents who understand that this international, multicultural education is a superpower. These students can be in a room with anybody and feel unbelievably comfortable. The significant part of it is that these students don’t even brag about it. They feel comfortable, and the situation is very normal.
Our partnerships with organisations throughout Qatar are vital and mutually beneficial. You could be in a country where the government dictates so much that it hinders the school. There must be a balance with that too. If there’s something we think we should do, we are comfortable going to Qatar’s Ministry of Education and saying, “can we look at this?”. The Ministry called us one year about a non-Muslim holiday to see how our community would react if they did or didn’t grant it. This is a sign that we are getting the international blend right.
But many times in countries, international schools arrive and think they'll do whatever they want and change the country to be more like them. That's not what it should be about.
Some international schools around the world see themselves as educational missionaries. We’re not missionaries; we’re partners, we’re friends, we’re allies. We’re coming here to share our expertise but also learn from the country’s expertise. That’s a big difference to our philosophy as a school.
The best bit about an international school is that everybody is part of the community. Everybody is important. It’s hard to navigate, for our parents, our kids, but it's incredible when they learn how to do it.
For me, it’s about how challenging, but how exciting, and fulfilling it is when you do it right.
