A/HRC/44/39/Add.1 17. According to article 25 of the Constitution, education is one of the basic pillars of social progress, which the State should ensure, foster and endeavour to spread. Article 49 states that all citizens have the right to education and that the State should endeavour to make general education compulsory and free of charge, in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations of the State. In accordance with Law No. 25 of 2001 on compulsory education, education is compulsory and free for all children in primary and secondary school or up to the age of 18 years. 18. The National Vision 2030, adopted in 2008, aims to transform Qatar into an advanced country by 2030, capable of sustaining its own development and providing for a high standard of living for all of its people for generations to come. The Vision seeks a response to the challenges currently faced by Qatar, including those posed by the greater freedoms and wider choices that accompany economic and social progress to the deeprooted social values that are highly cherished by Qatari society. 19. In the area of education, under the human development pillar (one of the four pillars of the Vision), Qatar aims to build a modern world-class education system that provides students with a first-rate education, comparable to that offered anywhere in the world. The objective is to provide citizens with excellent training and opportunities to develop to their full potential, preparing them for success in a changing world with increasingly complex technical requirements. The system also seeks to encourage analytical and critical thinking, as well as creativity and innovation, to promote social cohesion and respect for Qatari society’s values and heritage, and to advocate for constructive interaction with other nations. Furthermore, according to the Vision, Qatar will aspire to be an active centre in the fields of scientific research and intellectual activity. The Special Rapporteur congratulates Qatar for having developed those objectives in its National Development Strategies 2011– 2016 and 2018–2022, based on efforts to genuinely identify and address challenges.1 20. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the ongoing preparation of a national human rights plan. C. School system in the national context 1. Structure 21. Qatar hosts an exceptionally large migrant population; some estimates put it at 90 per cent of the total population. Consequently, the country has encouraged the development of a wide variety of so-called community or private international schools in order to adapt to the specific and diverse needs of learners. This leads to a great diversity of curricula and pedagogical approaches, which should be considered as an important and positive aspect of the educational system of Qatar. 22. However, a strong distinction is made between Qataris and non-Qataris. In addition, other distinctions are made, on the one hand between the various nationalities of migrants according to their origin (Arab and non-Arab) and language, and also their economic status, and on the other hand between men and women. 23. The education system in Qatar consists of: (a) Public schools that provide free education for Qatari children and for nonQataris whose parents are employed in the public service. Non-Qatari children of parents employed in the private sector also have access to public schools, within the limits of available places and provided they pay modest tuition fees. Non-Qatari children in public schools seem for the most part to be Arabic-speaking. Schools are either for girls or boys, and the curriculum is mainly in Arabic. According to statistics provided by the Government, 45.5 per cent of students enrolled in public schools for the academic year 2019/20 were of 95 foreign nationalities; 1 Qatar, Second National Development Strategy (2018–2022), chap. II. 5