Manama: It is back to school for around 200,000 students in Qatar following a two-week school break.

The Supreme Education Council (SEC), responsible for education policy in Qatar, said that it looked forward to a normal resumption of classes and urged all parents and schools to ensure that no hours were wasted.

"We laud all the efforts exerted to improve education standards," Sabah Al Haidoss, the head of education, said. "We do confirm the need to diversify our research, to enhance learning, to boost the students' aptitudes and interest in education and to provide opportunities to make them move forward vibrantly," she said, quoted by Arabic daily Al Sharq, on Sunday.

Students who fail to achieve high standards should be given more support to assist them, she said.

SEC has repeatedly said that its aim was to "build a modern, world-class educational system for all Qatari students" and to "combine best practices from around the world with Qatar's culture to ensure a bright future for every child and a strong competitive growth" for the country.