Educational Continuity During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Qatar Foundation’s MultiverCity

Abstract

AbstractSince 1995, the Qatar Foundation (QF) has played a key role in the development of Qatar through education, science, and community development. QF is an “umbrella” array of more than 50 entities covering the entire educational system from PreK-12 schools to doctoral higher education, in addition to a variety of related organizations supporting innovation, health, culture, and community development. This case study examines how the QF Multiverse-city (MultiverCity) model has created synergies between Higher Education and Pre-University Education, which have contributed to support educational continuity during the pandemic across the Foundation and beyond. All the programs shifted to the online delivery mode and new professional development programs and online resources were designed and delivered to teachers to support them in this sudden transition. Also, QF organized a series of virtual global conferences addressing the impact of COVID-19 on education, the responses of schools and systems, and how to reimagine education postcrisis. An electronic publication discussing the different experiences shared in the conference with policy recommendations is being released with the aims of informing policymakers and educators in Qatar and globally.The unique ecosystem of QF has shown its advantages by witnessing a significant proliferation of initiatives devoted to supporting the continuation of elementary and secondary education both in QF schools and nationwide. One of the success factors of these initiatives is the strong links and partnerships that QF has established between its entities and all the education stakeholders nationally and internationally over the past 25 years. Community outreach and support to PreK-12 education have always been integral to QF strategy. At the same time, the pandemic has provided opportunities for further impact research, and for further learning about the impact of contingencies, implementation of emergency plans, and best practices for more effective connectedness between different levels of the educational system.