Over the past five decades, Qatar has made phenomenal progress by establishing a strong academic system that is of tangible value to current and future generations, and is seamlessly tailored to usher in a new era of advancement. HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, has made an ongoing commitment to the development of notable educational initiatives and reforms.

The focus of learning today, as detailed in Qatar’s National Vision 2030, is to ensure that young Qataris are both academically and vocationally equipped to take the lead on the home front and to become major players in the international arena. HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, wife of HH the Emir, shares this profound commitment to education and is an ardent supporter of projects that enable youth to gain much-needed access to schooling.

As the Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Her Highness has supported the Emir’s vision by ensuring that students from all corners of the world stand to benefit from Qatar’s growth and investment in first-rate primary, secondary and tertiary education. As a result of these endeavours, Qatar Foundation’s universities have provided opportunities for talented men and women to attain a superior quality of education that rivals that of international institutions abroad. By using their knowledge and acquired skills, a growing number of Qataris have been able to bring to fruition HH the Emir’s vision and lead the way to a knowledge economy that is less dependent on hydrocarbons.

It is expected that by the year 2030, the education system will have produced a large number of accomplished graduates, fully prepared to become future entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers. Qatar Foundation exemplifies the remarkable and impressive progress that has been made in such a short span of time. Leading foreign universities have set up branch campuses and adhere to the same standards for admission and graduation as their home campus. These universities provide high-quality education to Qatari secondary school graduates and qualified international applicants.

Qatar Foundation’s Class of 2012 saw the highest number of graduates in its history, a true testament to the efforts of the nation’s leadership to provide future generations with skills that will help the country make the transition into a knowledge-based economy. The schooling of Qataris is now universal and, whereas there was once a significant disparity between the number of males and females who attended school, this gap has now closed. In just 60 years, the nation’s education system has been transformed.

 

The Learning Curve

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ith the incredible speed of development in Qatar and the concerted effort made to invest in various sectors, including research and development (R&D), it can be easy to overlook that education in the early 20th century did not follow the conventional school system that the younger generation of Qataris now experiences.

In her book, The Development of Modern Education in the Gulf, Qatar University president Professor Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad explains that, prior to the advent of modern schooling, the traditional ‘kuttab’ form of education was prevalent across the entire Gulf region, and in some other Muslim countries. The word kuttab stems from ‘kataba’, which in Arabic means ‘to write’. The main subject taught to village-dwelling children under the age of 10 was the Qur’an, since kuttab teachers were pious men and women who had knowledge of Islam’s Holy Book, the traditions of the Prophet, and the Arabic language. The classes were informal and took place in the teacher’s home or at nearby mosques.

In larger towns kuttabs also gave instruction in reading and writing Arabic, as well as elementary arithmetic. “With the exception of a semi-modern but advanced Islamic school called Madrasah Al Sheikh Al Mani, the remainder of education in Qatar was by kuttab,” writes Professor al-Misnad. “Madrasah Al Sheikh Al Mani was founded by Muhammad Abdulaziz al-Mani, an eminent scholar. The school continued from 1918 to 1938 and was not only well-known in Qatar, but also in other parts of the Gulf.” Only boys attended this school, receiving lessons in Islamic theology, jurisprudence, Arabic language and literature.

However, the first official school in Qatar for boys was established in 1948 by Sheikh Hamad Abdullah al-Thani. It held classes in Islamic studies, arithmetic, geography, Islamic history, Arabic, and English. It was soon government-funded, and began attracting an increasing number of students and teachers. By 1954, there were four schools operating in Qatar with 560 registered students and 26 members of teaching staff. One of the pivotal figures in the early advocacy of education for women was Amina Mahmud, who started teaching young boys and girls at her home in Doha in 1938.

In 1956, the government extended its support by supplying her with educational material, appointing teachers, and building additional rooms in her house to be used as classrooms. At this time it was attended by around 120 female students, tutored by just four female teachers. The educational curriculum included Qur’an, Islamic education, Arabic, arithmetic and health education. Sheikh al-Mani, the prominent scholar, also played a crucial role in bringing forth a change of attitude towards the education of women by issuing a fatwa (religious edict) to the ruler of Qatar in 1957. He declared that the education of girls was not contrary to the teachings of Islam, and by the late 1970s attendance of boys and girls at schools was almost equal.

In tandem with the growth of formal schooling in Qatar, the Ministry of Education was established in the mid-1950s and called ‘Wizarat Al Maarif’. The Egyptian system of education and curriculum was adopted during its early years, with textbooks imported from Egypt and other Arab countries. During this period the Ministry put into place the three levels of education that have existed ever since: primary (grades 1 to 6), preparatory (grades 7 to 9), and secondary (grades 10 to 12).Secondary education in Qatar began in 1956 when a small primary school in Doha was extended to include three classrooms, accommodating 49 male students. Five years later, formal preparatory education for girls was introduced, when the Ministry of Education opened a class in a primary school for girls, and 12 females enrolled into intermediate education. Out of these humble beginnings, a world-class education system would develop.

 

A State of Independence

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he independence of Qatar as a sovereign state, through the termination of the 1916 Anglo-Qatari Treaty, was declared on  September 3, 1971, and the following decade witnessed a spectacular upturn in the nation’s economic performance. Between 1973 and 1974, global oil prices quadrupled thanks to an embargo by the Organisation of the Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which Qatar was a member. During this period spending on education increased rapidly, rising from QR69mn in 1973 to over QR108mn just two years later. In September 1975, the 35th Session of the International Conference on Education took place in Geneva, Switzerland. Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Youth Welfare submitted a report entitled ‘Development of Education in Qatar’ to the conference. Schooling was still not compulsory under state law at this time, and a section of the report entitled ‘Major Educational Problems’ made clear that much was still to be done.

It noted that “the number of Qatari students who chose to study scientific subjects is still far below the increasing need of the country for scientifically qualified graduates.” However, the report revealed that plans were in place for the establishment of civil aviation, science, engineering and administration faculties in Qatar and stated, “On completion of these faculties the dream of having a university serving the country’s aims will be realised. It is hoped that this will have much influence on the society and accelerate the development of the country.” These words were to prove remarkably prescient.

 

A Huge Leap Forward

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atar’s first national College of Education, intended to provide teacher training, had been founded in 1973, with 150 students admitted in its first year. The college established the foundations from which Qatar University was to grow. However, according to Professor al-Misnad, plans for higher education had been in place for some time. “Was this the real beginning?” she asks. “In reality the answer is no. For the features of the university had started to form since the late sixties, when Qatar reached the stage where it needed higher education and we had examples such as King Saud University in Riyadh, Kuwait University and the experience of Bahrain, which served as a beacon for us.”

Professor Ibrahim Saleh al-Naimi, president of the Community College of Qatar and the former president of Qatar University from 1994 to 1999, was among the first batch of students to join the College of Education, and by the time he was ready to graduate Qatar University had been established. “The College of Education was for both male and female students,” he recalls. “Through our years there it grew and developed into a university – Qatar University. We started off as students at the College of Education, but graduated from Qatar University. I was a member of the first graduating batch from university, with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry.”

Qatar University was formally established by Emiri decree in 1977, and initially comprised four colleges: Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, and Sharia and Islamic Studies. According to Professor al-Misnad, “The rise of Qatar University in the late seventies was intended to meet the demands of the local community. One of the main goals at that time was to educate qualified teachers who could contribute directly to the educational process and partake in the country’s economic and social development.”

With this goal in mind, plans were put in place to gradually expand the university’s scope. “What was known as a Brown Book was issued,” says Professor al-Misnad. “This was a historical study that included the plan for the university until the end of the nineties.”

Following his graduation, Professor al-Naimi continued his education abroad, like many of his compatriots. Upon his return, he chose to participate in the progression and evolution of education in Qatar, along with some of his former classmates. The young men and women returned to take on positions as teachers and to lend a hand in their country’s advancement.

“Along with a group of my classmates, I was chosen to be a teaching assistant and was sent abroad to continue my studies. I returned to Doha in January 1984 and, since then, I have been a member of Qatar University. I continued studying and advanced from teacher to assistant professor to professor, then I worked as Vice Dean, progressed to position of Dean and finally become the President of the university.” Professor al-Naimi recounts how academics and teachers at Qatar University utilised their skills to enhance the education system for schools, in order to reduce the nation’s previous dependence on imported texts and curricula.

“We began to compose exams and tests, work on curriculums and designate books,” he recalls. “Therefore the education system in general became more respected with Qatar University.”

Looking back, Professor al-Naimi is convinced that the university served as a vital catalyst for the progress of education in Qatar. “Surely, founding Qatar University is a huge development and is a breakthrough in the history of education in Qatar,” he says. “The fact that the university was established at that time, the 1970s, brought about great change in education in the country and enabled Qatar’s education system to take a huge leap forward.” By the 1990s, with Qatar University now firmly established, the nation was ready to take another huge leap forward with the establishment of Qatar Foundation.

 

The Unlocking of Human Potential

In the very beginning, HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser had an ambitious vision to improve education in Qatar and in the Arab world by building a new model that would raise educational standards in the region and internationally,” says Dr Fathy Saoud, president of Qatar Foundation. Such an ambition would have proven daunting to many, but HH the Emir and Her Highness set about the task with dedication, guided by a determination to improve educational opportunities for all.

“To begin with, a working group was formed and it was called the Academic Committee,” Dr Saoud recalls. “The committee included Dr Sheikha al-Misnad, Dr Ismail Taj, Dr Saif al-Hajri, and I. Its main task was to supervise the transformation of HH Sheikha Moza’s vision into reality.”

In order to do so, the committee began to interact with some of the world’s most esteemed practitioners of educational excellence. The goal was to attract elite universities to Qatar, and thus began a journey of negotiations as the committee visited the United States and Western Europe to meet with representatives from some of the best educational establishments in the world. “There were a few difficulties that we faced at the outset in order to convince prestigious institutions to come to Qatar,” Dr Saoud reflects.

“But after reaching an agreement with Weill Cornell Medical College to open a branch campus in Education City, that helped us gain the approval of other universities to join Qatar Foundation and offer their programmes to students in Education City.”

Qatar Foundation was founded in 1995 by HH the Emir. At that time Education City itself did not exist, except as part of the vision of His and Her Highness, but work quickly got underway at the site. Once an architectural master plan had been established, the beautiful buildings that now form the Qatar Foundation campus became reality. Qatar Academy, which was founded in 1996, was the first such building, providing a comprehensive British curriculum including Arabic and Islamic studies to students from pre-school through to secondary graduation. And, as the Qatar Foundation campus continued to grow, so it began to attract world-class educational establishments offering internationally recognised degree courses, beginning with Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, which opened in 2002.

Great strides were being made, yet still Qatar refused to stand still in its pursuit of a world-class education system. The same year, the Supreme Education Council (SEC) was established by Emiri Decree to serve as the primary authority on education policy in Qatar. The council was designed to be the main education policymaking body, setting both short and long-term policies through its Education for a New Era reforms. Qatar had truly entered a new era, and its first-class education system would reflect the vision and mission of its leadership.

 

Towards the National Vision

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n July 2008, the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) was unveiled. It laid out a bold plan to set the nation on a journey towards a knowledge economy. One of the keys to its success lies in the attainment of educational excellence for Qatar’s citizens. The progress has already been astonishing, but it is set to continue apace.

Professor al-Misnad explains that ever since QNV 2030 was established and the nation began to transform into a knowledge-based economy with human development as one of its fundamental pillars, education in Qatar has continued to witness remarkable development. “Qatar University seeks for its graduates to meet the labour market’s requirements which change rapidly and continuously in light of the economic growth in Qatar and also due to the global developments in the fields of science and technology, as well as humanities and social sciences,” she says.

Today, Qatar University has seven colleges covering Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, and Sharia and Islamic Studies. It has over 8,000 students and an alumni body of over 30,000.The university administration has been keen to ensure that graduates take with them tools for lifelong learning and critical thinking, and this is reflected in the latest technology used in education such as the e-learning environment BlackBoard.

Professor al-Misnad explains that students at Qatar University are the cornerstone around which all plans and strategies are formed. “We are keen to ensure that graduates join the community with academic skills to offer, but also with experience and life skills that make them productive members of society and effective in the workplace. Before any of that, Qatar University seeks for graduates to adhere to their Arab and Islamic identity which is in tune with the vision of their homeland to become influential participants in the realisation of Qatar’s National Vision 2030.”

Meanwhile, Qatar Foundation has become home to some of the world’s top-ranking educational institutions, strategically selected to offer courses and programmes that equip young people with skills that have been identified as necessary for Qatar to succeed in the international arena. Partnerships have been forged with educational institutions that share the Foundation’s vision of “unlocking human potential” and can make a concerted effort to assist in the professional and personal development of graduates.

Qatar Foundation is currently home to eight prestigious branch campuses of international universities. The admission standards and degrees awarded by these institutions are identical to those at the main campus of partnering universities. Additionally, the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, which was established in 2007, serves as an international centre for Islamic thinking and dialogue. It offers postgraduate degrees in Islamic Finance, Public Policy, Islamic studies. The international universities are: Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (the first university to be established at Qatar Foundation in 1998); Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (established in 2001); Texas A&M University at Qatar (opened in 2003); Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (established in 2004); Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (started in 2005); University College London Qatar (joined in 2010); Northwestern University in Qatar (started in 2008); and HEC Paris (launched 2011).

Each institution offers a range of programmes within its area of expertise, thus giving students the scope to undertake studies in engineering, medicine, politics, economics, design, computer science and information systems, journalism and communication studies, museum studies, conservation and archaeology, and Islamic finance and public policy. Apart from Qatar University and Qatar Foundation, Stenden University Qatar (formerly CHN University Netherlands) has operated in Doha since 2000 and offers bachelor’s degrees in hospitality-related fields. The College of the North Atlantic – Qatar is a Canadian technical college established in 2002 and offers various diplomas and certificates in engineering, business, health, sciences and information technology, among others. In 2006, the University of Calgary set up a four-year degree programme in nursing.

Yet Dr Fathy Saoud explains that HH Sheikha Moza’s vision is not only limited to the field of education and university education, because she believes in the necessity of scientific research in order to achieve Qatar’s vision which is reflected in Qatar’s National Vision 2030. He says, “Her Highness began guiding us to establish national research institutes and Qatar National Research Fund and to support various research efforts. HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, announced that Qatar would spend 2.8% of the country’s GDP to support research in the country.”

With research now a national priority, Qatar Foundation’s role in the journey towards a knowledge economy becomes ever more central, and its evolution continues. “A major landmark was the announcement by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser at Senior Convocation in 2010 that all of our higher education and related research would be brought together in a single university.

A year later this new entity was named as Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). All of us working in higher education at Qatar Foundation and our university partners are excited about the potential of our new university to achieve even more for our students, the State of Qatar, and for the region,” says HE Dr Abdulla al-Thani, president of Hamad Bin Khalifa University and vice president of Education at Qatar Foundation.

“At Hamad Bin Khalifa University we are very conscious of the importance of our role in building our new knowledge-based society. We both respond to anticipated needs for highly trained professionals in particular areas, and we nurture qualities such as creativity and enterprise which will help our graduates carve out new activities and new careers. Students learn better when they are engaged in a process of discovery with their teachers. Such research-based education takes place in our partner universities and it will be the norm throughout HBKU.”

HE Dr al-Thani explains that the expansion at Qatar Foundation is reflective of the growth and change taking place in the country as a whole. “When I joined in 2005, education was still the main activity at Qatar Foundation and since then many other centres have been created, especially in research,” he says.

“However, I think this underlines the fact that education is the prerequisite for success elsewhere. These centres are recruiting many of our graduates, as are organisations outside Qatar Foundation. This is evidence that our education is producing people with the right skills and attitudes to develop our society and our economy.”

“Beyond doubt the critical factor is the vision of HH the Emir which has been pursued so energetically by HH Sheikha Moza,” he continues. “They have been clear and consistent that we must build our future around our human capacities, and that these capacities must be cultivated through education. They have implemented a strategy of raising the standard of education as rapidly as possible and they have done so by forging alliances with partners from around the world who are best in class.”

He adds, “I think young people growing up now have access to better facilities and a better education than when I was young. We are reaching a point where every child is guaranteed an education that will equip them to succeed, to the best of their abilities, at whatever they choose to do,” Dr Saoud concurs.

“Having Qatar’s National Vision 2030, and supportive strategies like the Qatar National Research Strategy and others, serve as proof that Qatar is developing in a healthy manner towards a future based on science and knowledge, ensuring prosperity and an educational renaissance to Qatar, its citizens and residents. I am a firm believer that by merging a global, advanced level of education, we will support Qatar in achieving its 2030 vision,” he says.

From the kuttab to the Qatar National Vision, education in Qatar has been transformed in recent decades. And it is clear that the ambitious journey will continue. On Qatar National Day there is much to celebrate and give thanks for, including HH the Emir and HH Sheikha Moza’s determined pursuit of an excellent education for all.

 

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