Staff Reporter
CANADA’s University of Calgary launched its first-ever branch campus yesterday with the inauguration of the Bachelor of Nursing programme at Rayyan.
Chairperson of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and project director of the College of Nursing Project Dr Latifa al-Houty, University of Calgary provost and vice-president (academic) Dr Alan Harrison, dean and CEO of the University of Calgary-Qatar Dr Michael Clinton, member of the board of directors of higher education of Qatar Foundation Dr Mohamed Fathy A Saoud and HMC’s executive director of nursing Dr Nabila al-Meer attended the inaugural function at the campus (which previously housed the College of North Atlantic Qatar).
Speaking at the function, Dr al-Houty said the launching of the nursing programme at the University of Calgary-Qatar was the latest step in Qatar’s College of Nursing Project, which she said aimed to provide world-class nursing education and research programmes in Doha. She said the unprecedented investment in nursing education by Qatar had brought the University of Calgary from Alberta to Doha to deliver state-of-the-art education.
Dr al-Houty said at least QR25bn was likely to be invested in Qatar’s education and health sectors in the next two years.
She said that the arrival of the University of Calgary was the result of a long-term exercise that took more than 30 months to realise. “It took that much of time because the country wanted to ensure that the students received one of the best nursing educations in the whole world.”
Dr Saoud said the nursing project was the largest overseas programme involving a Canadian university to date.
The Qatar Foundation official hoped that the programme would transform nursing education in Qatar by promoting nursing as a career for men and women. The programme, he said, would prepare nurses for excellence in clinical nursing and lay the foundation for Master’s and PhD studies.
Dr Harrison said he was overwhelmed by the response that he had received from health and education officials in Qatar. However, he said entry to the university’s Qatar programme could be highly competitive. Students will have to meet the University of Calgary entrance standards in Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and English. They can prepare for entry by taking a pre-nursing programme at the College of the North Atlantic - Qatar.
Dr Clinton also addressed the gathering. He had personally led the negotiations that led to Qatar awarding the Doha Nursing Project to the University of Calgary.
Students taken for the programme will be eligible for sponsorship by HMC and other health care providers.
They will also be eligible for University of Calgary Admission Scholarships, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Scholarships and several entrance, transfer and undergraduate awards.
Graduates from the programme will meet the same Canadian and international standards for nursing as graduates at the Calgary campus.
Calgary is the seventh foreign university to start its branch campus in Qatar. Five US universities are functioning in the Education City and CHN University Qatar has its campus in Farig Bin Omran. |
