Badr Al-Hai

Badr Jassim Al-Hai is Director of Education and Student Affairs at Aspire Academy. Across thirty-five years in education and administration, he helped develop an academic system attentive to the particular needs of student-athletes.

He devoted thirty-five years to serving his country with diligence and commitment. An inspiration and role model to students, employees and children, he encouraged others to raise their ambitions and serve Qatar tirelessly. Professional demands did not prevent him from building a stable family founded on moral values, dialogue, acceptance and respect. He remains a friend to his four children and a source of support and companionship to his two daughters.

He was born in 1966 in Doha’s Bin Dirham district, as Qatar entered a period of economic growth and major social change. His calm, happy childhood unfolded within a prosperous family of twelve, closely connected both internally and with the wider family. Relatives met regularly, discussed matters affecting them and supported one another. From childhood, he recognised the blessings that God Almighty had bestowed on him and on Qataris of his generation and enjoyed the opportunities available. His father worked in the justice and court system, and the family’s large house contained an extensive farm, giving the child space in which to play, think and explore.

His father placed great value on education and constantly encouraged excellence, commitment and discipline. He saw him as a model, guide and careful observer. Members of the extended family, family friends and neighbours—whom he regarded as a second family—provided further support and direction beyond the home.

In his early school years, he struggled to balance a passion for sport with academic responsibilities and eagerly awaited the dismissal bell so that he could join sporting and cultural activities in his neighbourhood and local clubs. School holidays also brought family travel, especially to Egypt and Lebanon, broadening the children’s outlook and helping them become open, culturally aware adults.

After secondary school, he entered Qatar University to study geography. Although it was not initially a favourite subject, it opened the way to planning, then a subspecialisation within the department. A few months later, he considered joining the military like many friends. His father opposed the decision, asked him to complete university first and promised him complete freedom to choose afterwards. That intervention changed his course and helped lead him to his present career.

He completed a university degree in planning within a competitive environment that encouraged him to excel. Sustained effort brought high marks, reinforcing both his enthusiasm and his confidence.

Planning offered many possible paths; he had come to love and excel in the subject. He nevertheless responded to a national shortage of teachers and entered education, regarding the choice as guidance from God Almighty. In the classroom, he discovered abilities and inclinations he had not previously recognised. He quickly distinguished himself and acquired the required experience and skills. Passion for teaching also showed him from his first day the profession’s distinctive nature and a teacher’s sensitive influence on pupils’ hearts, minds and attitudes—and therefore on the formation of future generations.

In 1999, he became deputy head of a Ministry of Education school, where his commitment and performance stood out. He approached every assignment with seriousness and sought to complete it on time and to the highest standard, remaining in the office after hours when necessary. During a summer holiday, an Aspire official telephoned to ask about certain procedures and was surprised to find him still at work. Impressed by his diligence, the official nominated him for a position at Aspire Academy.

In 2003, he joined Aspire Academy as school principal and remained in the post for ten years. Working with his team, he created a flexible learning environment responsive to student-athletes, developed curricula promoting sporting awareness and culture, and designed an implicit curriculum focused on character and core values. The approach grew from his own experience as a student-athlete whose particular educational needs and learning style had received little attention.

After ten years at Aspire and having earned the officials’ confidence, he was appointed Director of Education and Student Affairs. From his first day, he worked continuously with the departments under his direction to make a distinctive contribution to both education and sport.

Because travel and competition affect student-athletes’ education, Aspire Academy became one of the first institutions to introduce distance learning while pupils were abroad. It built appropriate advanced infrastructure and trained teachers to use it. When Covid-19 made physical distancing necessary, Aspire was therefore among the earliest institutions able to move directly and smoothly into remote education.

During his career at the Academy, successive experiences culminated in a major achievement: his Education Department team designed a framework for teaching student-athletes that was published in seven languages. It became a reference for sports academies internationally, many of which now regard Aspire as a model for sporting excellence and student-athlete education.