Zakiyyah Unjurashata is the Head Girl of the girls' department. She is one of the  pioneers of the school, being among the first group of students to join the academy for her Form I in 2003. Now in Upper Six, she is happy and satisfied with her choice, she says.

“ I am very satisfied and grateful for the education that I got during the seven years that I spent here. I believe it provides a complete academic educa­tion because I never found myself dif­ferent from girls from other institutions. We did the same subjects that were taught in other colleges and, in fact, when we were in Form V, we completed the SC syllabus which was not the case with many other colleges.

“ I prepared for my SC exams with the help of my teachers and the manage­ment of the school also helped in providing us with a maximum of facilities. I never took private tuitions for the SC and still came out with flying colours. The belief of the school that private tui­tion is not pri­mordial for the success of a stu­dent is true and  the school's SC results have proved it,” says Zakiyyah.

She adds: “Every individual goes through drastic changes and difficult moments during their adolescence. Students of Doha Academy are no exception. Still, we were able to control our frustration because we were supported  by our teachers and the management of the school, unlike other students. I have never been to any other institution but I have heard from friends that their teachers focus only on providing academic education. They are hardly concerned with the psycho-motor or affective domains of their students or with their physiological and behavioural changes.

An individual's life, I believe, is greatly characterised by his adolescence. If we are not rightly shown how to canalize our energy, if we are not thoroughly explained the reasons for all these changes, then we get down to undignified acts. This is one of the elements that differentiate Doha Academy from others. Here, we are from the start supported by our teachers. And we are taught sexual education well before reaching puberty. I find it useless to teach sexuality when the students are in their late teens,” says Zakkiyah.

Shaping the character
Youshrina Kureembokus, who is also a student in Upper Six,  says: “We are taught  many things apart from the normal academic subjects. In one particular subject, for instance,  the Fiqh, we are taught how to behave as a good human being, daughter, sister, wife, daughter-in-law and mother. We are taught the significance of family and marriage and the role that each one has to play to make a marriage successful. They explained to us how to live with our in-laws and how to respect them, something that I am sure is not taught elsewhere. However, the purpose of going to school is not only to get good results and certificates. The teachers should be role models and I am afraid that this is not exactly the case nowadays.”

The  girls affirm that they would like to contribute to the progress of the school once they are adults. Youshrina adds:  “We would like to share our experiences with the students and we will definitely encourage others to join in. Many times we are questioned by others why we chose to stay in Doha Academy to complete our HSC and did not go to some more “advanced” school. But I believe that I owe lots to this academy, its teachers, the mana­gement and the students. We were the first group of students to join the institution and we must set good examples to others.

The reputation of the school depends on us. Even now, when we say that we are girls from Doha Academy, people look at us differently. There are a lot of expectations from us and it is understood that we are imbibed with human values. All these, thanks to the academy. In such circumstances, we cannot just leave the college for another one. It is a question of fidelity and loyalty to the academy which has made us into what we are today. We did not pass our exams by ourselves but also because of the dedication and hard work and confidence of our teachers and our rector and management.”