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Education is the key to overcome several social pandemics, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, said at a plenary session at WISE Summit 2021 on Thursday. "I believe that education is the antidote for all our social pandemics, such as intolerance, inequality, you name it. If we understand the capability of education, I think we can achieve a lot,” she stated. "Though the Covid-19 pandemic has increased disproportionate burden on the disadvantaged children, I am really optimistic when we come together, we can achieve a lot. In the last one and a half years, we have seen the impact of a pandemic. But we have managed it and we are able to develop a vaccine, an antidote to the virus." In her interaction at the session on " Educate A Child - Zero Out of School Children", Sheikha Moza touched on the EAA Foundation's "zero" strategy, which aims to reduce the percentage of out-of-school children in several countries, stressing the need for all sectors to co-operate to achieve the goal of universal primary education. The EAA Foundation chairperson noted that universal primary education is just as important as "water is important to the body." “When I say education, I mean quality education. There is always a link between quality education and economic growth because it builds the skills and increases the productivity. It will be reflected in the GDP. Education is an enabler to uphold socio economic mobility,” highlighted Sheika Moza. “Education is the birth right for each child and it is also a way we can instill identities, culture and heritage in the young people. To me, education is a medium by which culture and heritage can be passed down to the young people. So we are building identity and confidence in their hearts and minds,” she explained. Highlighting the discussions at the summit, Sheikha Moza recalled that she had heard amazing ideas and thoughts. “For me, education is the basic need such as water, food and other things. Education is central for everything and if we have educated children, it means that we have educated the nation and a productive economy. And with this we can solve economic, social and cultural issues,” she maintained. As for the selection of countries for the Zero Out of School Children programme the EAA Foundation chairperson pointed out that it was done according to “their achievements and willingness to achieve this goal.” “The countries also need to have some good data for us to plan and measure the outcomes. These countries are like a showcase that can be replicated in other countries. We have presently four countries: Zanzibar, Djibouti, Rwanda and Gambia,” she said. The session was also attended by director-general of Unesco Audrey Azoulay, and vice president of Gambia Dr Isatou Touray and moderated by Dareen Abughaida, principal presenter, Al Jazeera English. President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, also spoke virtually during the session. Azoulay remarked: "During the pandemic over 1.5bn children were impacted. There were inequalities not only between countries but within countries. Education is not the same when it is distance learning. We need the presence of teachers in the teaching learning process. Only 40% of the teachers had the training in conducting distance learning or online teaching. This was one of the major issues for countries and education in general,” "Above all, 500mn students were deprived of distance learning because they lacked internet learning. The digital divide was also widening the educational divide. Unesco created a global coalition to support global education during the pandemic. We have about 200 members in this coalition including several stakeholders and it is working in over 100 countries to protect the rights to education, supporting the reopening of the schools as early as possible,” continued Azoulay. Dr Touray noted that the EAA initiative has made a huge impact on her country enabling quality education for very young school going children.    

Qatar will launch a redesigned e-learning strategy in January, disclosed HE Buthaina bint Ali al-Jabar al-Nuaimi, Minister of Education and Higher Education. “In Qatar an e-learning system was introduced in the public schools in 2012. But it had not been fully integrated in the teaching and learning until the pandemic. When it was fully integrated we have realised the weaknesses and strengths the system has. This has led us to redesign our e-learning strategy which will be launched next January,” said, al-Nuaimi. The minster was speaking at the closing plenary session of WISE Summit 2021 along with fellow panelist, Anthony Seldon, former vice-chancellor, Buckingham University, UK and the session was moderated by Dareen Abughaida, principal presenter, Al Jazeera, English. Al-Nuaimi said that in the past decade, there has been a lot of changes in the way people work because of the technological advancements. “The pandemic has accelerated the transition to that. Technology has become and will continue to be an integral part of education. It is our responsibility to prepare the children for the future and for that to prepare our teachers. Our e-learning strategy has been designed in taking into consideration all the lessons learned from the pandemic and also through a consultation process with all the educational stakeholders,” said, the minister. She noted that the redesigned strategy has four major pillars. “The first one is governance, and how to enable an environment to promote innovation and empower schools while the second pillar is digital schools and professional development not only for students but also for teachers, administrators and other staff. The next part is the digital content and it has to be flexible and personalised. The last aspect is the infrastructure to ensure access to all,” she explained. According to her, the strategy focuses on the holistic development of the children and to prioritise their mental health. “Research, years ago has shown the correlation between mindset and academic achievement and it has been very clearly seen during the pandemic. We have seen rising levels of depression anxiety and mental health issues. It is very important to address these to enable the students to learn. We bring the emphasis on social and emotional learning in the schools. It is the teachers’ responsibilities to implement the programmes, having a frame work that places equal emphasis on the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing as well as the cognitive ability of the students,” she remarked. The minister also noted that the focus should be on the students, teachers and the curriculum. “For the teachers, we need to rethink and redesign the teacher training and even the initial teacher development. We always speak how to prepare teachers use technology. It is also important that we use technology in teacher training. It is important that the curriculum become interactive, flexible and personalised for the students with personalised pathways for the students. For this, there is a very important element which is school culture. Having the right culture help people flourish and recognise the diverse abilities of the child.This promotes an environment of trust, empowerment that would help students to learn,” she concluded. Seldon said that schools should be places where we should not be afraid of the word love. “School are often places of fear, fear of failure, fear of mistakes, fear of authorities and so on. We need to put trust in the system and we need to remind us that education means to lead out,” he said. “We need excellent leadership to promote active learning, companionship and how to become a better human being,” he concluded.    

Unless the present education set-up changes and evolves, there could be a skills crisis, noted young innovators at the WISE Summit 2021. “I personally feel that education needs to evolve. It needs to change both the way it is designed and delivered. We should be making technology a priority in education,” said Tanmay Bakshi, advisory software engineer, IBM, and Google Developer expert for Machine Learning, Canada. Eighteen-year-old Bakshi is also a TED and global keynote speaker, visiting professor at the University in Tokyo, bestselling author, media personality and YouTuber. He builds the technology for tomorrow and dreams of empowering at least 100,000 people in his lifetime with the technology they need to change the world. Augmenting songwriters, recognising people by their heartbeat, decoding mental states from EEG are just a few of the ways he has applied next-generation technology. Speaking at a plenary session at the summit, Bakshi said the education transition from the present system is not going to be easy. “We are headed to a skills crisis unless we change. It is important that we evolve, adapt and overcome the fear of change so that we can prevent the impending skills crisis," explained Bakshi. He said 72% of machine learning organisations have the most disruptive technologies. “Technology acts as the infrastructure for every other industry, every other domain. It means that technology and machine learning are universally applicable,” he said. “Human progress is growing exponentially. We can no longer rely on the old way of teaching somebody skills and they will apply it for the rest of their lives. This will no more work. People need to continuously adapt because by the time they have learned a skill, it will probably become obsolete,” he continued. He noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has proven that education can change. “Our education basically changed into a virtual mode in a matter of two weeks in the pandemic. It took a public health crisis to force us the change. If we are not proactive, we are headed to a skill crisis. We need to have a fundamental rethinking of education. What we need to do is to leverage this unique symbiotic relationship between technology and education to enable new capabilities,” he noted. “It is also important that students are all taught differently as we are all different. For that, we need human teachers and machines can work together in the classrooms,” he added. Describing his personal goals, he said: “Whenever I help the people and help them solve their problems, I feel that I have had an impact on their lives using the power of technology. It all started as a five-year-old watching my father programming. I started using various technologies and when I was nine years old, I developed my first application accepted into the Apple App Store,” he concluded.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, attended the WISE Awards Plenary Session Wednesday. The 2021 WISE Awards winners came together for the ‘Post-pandemic Pillars of Education: Designing and Funding New Approaches to Learning’ plenary to shed light on how their work is defining the education landscape of tomorrow. HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, and a number of officials, experts and specialists from various countries participating in the conference, were present. WISE, Qatar Foundation’s global initiative dedicated to building the future of education through innovation, invited global audiences to share in an invaluable exchange of knowledge and dialogue on day two of the 2021 WISE Summit, with a range of virtual, in-person and hybrid sessions. In the final stages, 12 projects from nine countries competed for prizes, including six winning projects, all of which were evaluated according to strict criteria that include factors of innovation, scalability and sustainability and its impact on individuals, groups and societies in their local environments or at the global level, as well as the distinction of financial stability, adopting a clear development plan and be capable of development and replication. All seek to address the most pressing global challenges in the field of education. This year’s six winners are: the Delhi Government’s Happiness Curriculum, creating time at school to develop mindfulness, critical thinking and other social and emotional skills; Taleemabad, a ‘city of education’ in Pakistan providing localised content using digital technologies; Trauma Informed Schools in Turkey to help young Syrian refugees and the community around them; Onetab, a solar-charged tablet developed by the UK and Nigeria-based company Onebillion to build literacy and numeracy schools in any country; ProFuturo Digital Education Programme, from the Telefonica and la Caixa foundations, creating a digital education programme in areas without connectivity, and Let’s All Learn to Read , an innovative model for developing literacy in Colombia and Panama. Representatives of each of the winning projects spoke about how they had impacted the education in their countries and beyond. They also highlighted how their projects have helped millions of children around the world to get quality education and how this has a very positive impact on the students and their attitudes. In addition to publicity and networking opportunities, each project will receive $20,000. Dr Ameena Abdul-Majeed, director of programmes and chief curator at WISE handed over the awards at the session. Congratulating the winning projects and speaking about the projects and their impacts on the societies, Dr Abdul-Majeed noted that the projects are true examples of innovation and impactful education. “The work that is celebrated by the WISE Awards is vitally important, as each of our winners has built an effective, tested solution to a global educational challenge. The projects are already transforming lives and creating a pathway for others to follow. At this year’s Summit, we are not only congratulating our winners on their achievements, but also showcasing their innovation on a global stage. It is crucial that policymakers and civil society leaders look at those best practices as solutions for a greater impact on learners,” she said. The speakers at the WISE Awards plenary included Tanmay Bakshi, an 18-year-old Google Developer Expert for Machine Learning and Advisory Software Engineer at IBM; Emiliana Vegas, Senior Fellow and Co-Director at the Centre for Universal Education, Brookings Institution; Lydia Wilbard, National Director, CAMFED Tanzania; and Shannon May, Co-Founder and President of NewGlobe. Meanwhile, the WISE Studio hosted panels and chats, featuring experts from around the world, to discuss the future of edtech, student and teacher wellbeing, the relevance of higher education, and the importance of ethical leadership and learning ecosystems. Gitanjali Rao,16-year-old Innovator, Author, STEM Promoter and TIME Magazine’s ‘Kid of the Year’ 2020, , led an insightful Ask me Anything session on ‘Encouraging Girls to Embrace STEM Education’, inspiring girls and women to break free from biases, social norms and expectations standing in the way of their education quality. The 2021 WISE Summit will conclude with a plenary session this afternoon.

Thought leaders, policymakers and academics at the WISE Summit 2021 have discussed how to rethink and redefine education, especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, and shape it for tomorrow. Two plenary sessions highlighted the work pressure students have been undergoing and how the pandemic became a major catastrophe on education. A global reference in new approaches to education, the WISE Summit aims to lend a voice to a ‘muted’ generation that has borne the brunt of the biggest disruption to education in recent history, yet remains conspicuously absent from discussions on how to build back better. The session on ‘Post-pandemic Pillars of Education: Designing and Funding New Approaches to Learning’ saw Emiliana Vegas, co-director, Brookings; Shannon May, co-founder and president, NewGlobe, US; and Lydia Wilbard, national director, CAMFED, Tanzania; discuss the situation during the pandemic and the way forward. Highlighting the long-term impact of Covid-19 on schoolchildren and education, Vegas said the closure of schools is going to cause a significant loss of skills for students across the world. “However, those losses are not distributed equally as countries that were better prepared could manage the situation sooner than others. They were much better placed to mitigate the learning loss effectively. The impact of it on less developed countries may lead to generations of poverty, loss of productivity among others,” she said. May, who was primarily working with the African countries, noted that the pandemic was catastrophic for the entire education sector. She said: “Incredibly limited budgets for governments, houses without even a single computer and no broadband in many areas, it was a major setback for the students.” “We make use of the experience of the girls to bring to the table the programmes that work for the children from marginalised communities. Any crisis impacts women and children more than others and Covid-19 was no exception. School closure meant for the girls that they were far more vulnerable. We created mentorship programmes that connect with community members and parents to provide social support for the girls,” explained Wilbard. Vegas also suggested that governments, philanthropists and funding agencies should turn their priority to education. “Cutting education budgets can create huge problems in the future. We need to generate awareness about it and there should be efforts to support education especially among the most affected countries,” she added. Another plenary session of the day, titled ‘Big Shock, Big Reforms’, cast a look at the idea that shocks, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, can be a powerful catalyst for innovation. Thought leaders, including Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence; Zhou Yijun, journalist and documentary filmmaker; David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and chief innovation officer of Sierra Leone; and Sidharth Santhosh, research consultant, Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, explored the impact of technology on long-expected reforms in education, reshaped student-teacher relationships and the wider societal implications of education reform. Addressing the plenary session, Marc Brackett broached the topic of emotional intelligence in learning with several thought-provoking questions, from “When someone asks you how you are feeling, can you be open and authentic?” to “What are the barriers to permission to feel?”. “At this point in time, we have a mental health crisis amongst our children. In many ways, it is our moral obligation that every child gets the emotional education they deserve. What that really means is that we have to be the best possible role models for them,” he concluded.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF) has highlighted the need to empower the youth with quality education. She was delivering a special address at the opening plenary session of the WISE global summit 2021 on Tuesday at Qatar National Convention Centre. The event is being held physically and with more than 10,000 online participants worldwide under the theme ‘Generation Unmute: Reclaiming our Future Through Education.’ " Listening to young people and recognising their indispensable role in decision-making is no longer a choice; it is an imperative," Sheikh Moza stated. "We are all aware that the intellectual capacity of the current generations has expanded because of opportunities provided through technology and quality education – something that was not available to the generations that came before them. "From the primary stage of basic education, curricula must be created to mould individuals and build a generation that is armed with knowledge and expertise to allow them to participate in decision-making and contribute to solving global challenges. Indeed, our journey in establishing Qatar Foundation was founded on this belief." The QF chairperson also highlighted the shifting meaning of wisdom nowadays and noted: "In our religious texts, wisdom means knowledge. But popular culture conflates wisdom with age. That is no longer the case. Even early in their lives, opportunities are open for youth to access wisdom through different forms of knowledge available to them through quality education, books, scientific and digital platforms online." "Listening to young people and recognising their indispensable role in decision-making is no longer a choice; it is an imperative," she concluded as she called on the summit participants to create a space for young people to be heard. At the opening ceremony, Her Highness also presented the 2021 WISE Prize for Education to Wendy Kopp, co-Founder and CEO of Teach for All. Through Teach for All, Kopp is recognised for developing the concept that meaningful, sustainable education changes need leaders who are rooted in their communities and believe in the potential to transform them to deliver the opportunities all children deserve. During the opening session, Mariam al-Dhuhani, an independent journalist, filmmaker, curator and educator from Yemen described her journey of education and how the Education City gave her the push to realise her dreams. Meanwhile, Gitanjali Rao, innovator, author and STEM promoter, USA shared her life and how she is able to focus on innovation to promote education. She also said that she used to share her work with about 56,000 students in 36 countries. Rao, aged 16, won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2017 and was recognised on Forbes 30 Under 30 for her innovations. She was named TIME Top young innovator in 2020 for her innovations and "innovation workshops" she conducts across the globe. She was also featured on the cover of TIME magazine .    

A plenary discussion on the opening day of the WISE global summit discussed the changing landscape of education and the emerging new scenarios. The thematic plenary, *Generation Unmute, highlighted thoughts about going beyond the conventional education practices and equipping students with skills to face the challenges. Sheikha Intisar Salem al-Ali al-Sabah (Kuwaiti social entrepreneur, philanthropist, author and film producer), Mathieu Nebra (co-founder of Open Classrooms, France), and Debora Kayembe, rector at University of Edinburgh, shared their thoughts at the plenary, moderated by Dareen Abughaida, principal presenter and journalist at Al Jazeera English. Al-Sabah said that while the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has been a catastrophe, it has also been an opportunity for the world. “Now everyone understands the necessity of mental wellness, not only in education, but also in society,” she said. “The high school years are crucial for the well-being of the students,” al-Sabah said. “So we have implemented very short exercises in positivity, exercises built in psychology that are fun, engaging the students with the teachers as well as among themselves.” “These are simple and small one-step exercises,” she elaborated. “We introduced them in 47 high schools with 12,000 students.” “We had huge growth in academic achievements and there was huge decline in (cases of) bullying,” al-Sabah added. “We don't work with the whole school, but with only a small number of teachers.” According to al-Sabah, when teachers and students become happier, the whole atmosphere changes. “This change is measured in several ways, and it is a huge social behavioural change,” she added. “Implementing a fun-based education works. When you add fun into learning process, students learn quickly.” “We implemented it among students, and within six weeks we found very positive change among these students,” she continued. “The results were published on *Springer Journal, and this helped the government realise that something positive is happening.” Open Classrooms co-founder Nebra explained the concept of his initiative to making education accessible to everyone. Open Classrooms is an online platform offering top quality education to employment programmes and career coaching services for students worldwide. “We are a vision-driven company to make education accessible to everyone,” he said. “We specially focus on the people we help to get new jobs. We teach them, skill and reskill them.” “We have six-month courses in English and French in several areas,” Nebra added. “I had the opportunity to build and design the curriculum without the constraints of the existing systems. This creates a lot of opportunities that you wouldn’t have thought about.” Different from all other online learning platforms, Open Classrooms career paths include weekly one-on-one mentorship sessions with a dedicated professional in each field. The programme also has a curriculum designed around competencies the students need to thrive on the job. The programmes are project-driven, and there are no tests or studying for exams. Instead, students learn experientially, the fastest way to become operational, and all courses are self-paced to fit into their schedule. University of Edinburgh rector Kayembe noted that students always work on something new, particularly in her establishment. “Students now want more quality, diversity and inclusion. They want to be accepted the way they are,” she said. “They want to explore the weaknesses. The universities have a role to transform the society. Education of truth, fun and revelation is essential."    

Wendy Kopp, the co-founder and chief executive of Teach For All, has won the 2021 WISE Prize for Education. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), presented the prize at the opening plenary of the 2021 WISE global summit at the Qatar National Convention Centre on Tuesday, before an audience – both in person and virtually – of more than 10,000 participants worldwide. “I am so deeply honoured and thrilled to receive the recognition as a tribute to all the people in the network of Teach for All,” Kopp told *Gulf Times after receiving the prize. “So many of the social entrepreneurships, like Teach for Qatar, have built this organisation in their countries, and so many thousands of teachers and alumni educators have thrown their hearts and souls into their work to help the children realise their potentials.” She was recognised by WISE for her contribution to quality education through creating Teach For All, a diverse global network, building collective leadership in classrooms and communities to share solutions across borders and ensure all children can fulfiIl their promise. “This recognition is such a boost for our network at such a time of huge challenges for the students and communities,” she said. “It also offers so many new possibilities to accelerate progress towards a stronger education system.” “We are working to grow our network of extraordinary and diverse teacher leaders while supporting them to sustain and spread the new teaching practice, enabling them learn more and building a more deeply interconnected network,” Kopp said. She said that the organisation is present in all the six continents. “We are currently active in 61 countries, all locally led independent organisations,” Kopp noted. “In the region other than Qatar, we are present in Morrocco and Lebanon.” The WISE Prize for Education is the first global distinction of its kind to acknowledge an individual for outstanding contribution to education. Through Teach For All, Kopp is recognised for developing the concept that meaningful, sustainable education changes need leaders who are rooted in their communities and believe in the potential to transform them to deliver the opportunities that all children deserve. “We see this prize as an endorsement and recognition of our theory of change," she said. “Collective leadership is necessary to solve the most entrenched inequities in education and reshape the system so that it prepares our young people to navigate uncertainty and shape a better future.” “Complex problems can only be solved through the collective efforts of many, working together across all levels of the system,” Kopp said upon receiving the award. Teach For All, which was established in 2007, currently works with partner organisations at a grassroots level, inspiring their countries’ outstanding graduates and professionals from all fields to channel their passion towards expanding opportunities for children, committing to two years of teaching in the schools and communities where they are needed most. “Wendy’s work exemplifies what we so passionately believe in at WISE – the conviction that everyone deserves quality education, and you can achieve it through creating a virtuous, international network by sharing best practice and involving communities,” said WISE chief executive Stavros N Yiannouka. “This prize is in recognition of a lifetime’s contribution to education and a constant spirit of innovation.” “Through Teach For All, Wendy has truly revolutionised school leadership,” he added.    

Embassies of India and Bangladesh marked 50 years of friendship with a special 'Maitree Divas' celebration Monday in the presence of a galaxy of dignitaries from various walks of life. India was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh on December 6, 1971. Yousef Sultan Larem, director of the Department of Asian Affairs, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the guest of honour on the occasion. Apart from Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal and Bangladesh ambassador Mohamed Jashim Uddin, many Qatari officials, a number of ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps from various missions in Qatar were present at the event. A cultural programme Pointing out that the prime ministers of both countries had decided to celebrate the occasion as Maitree Divas, ambassador Dr Mittal said: “The bonds between India and Bangladesh have been forged in blood, replenished by shared history, culture and vibrant people-to-people ties. We cherish and proudly celebrate our common social-cultural-linguistic heritage." Many dignitaries attended the event “Bengal was also the seat for the Indian renaissance that gave us icons like Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bankim Chandra. The fact that Rabindranath Tagore wrote the national anthem of both India and Bangladesh is a testament to our deep knowledge,” continued the Indian envoy. Recalling the historical circumstances that led to the birth of Bangladesh and India welcoming close to 10 million refugees from East Bengal - currently Bangladesh - Dr Mittal noted: “India and Bangladesh today share comprehensive ties with co-operation in areas of security, trade, energy and education and innovation. The co-operation paradigm has expanded to themes like connectivity, sustainable development and blue economy.” Some of the dignitaries at the event Bangladesh ambassador Jashim Uddin remarked: “A friend in need is a friend indeed. We needed a friend at the most critical juncture of our history. In our neighbour, India, we found that friend and this is a celebration of that friendship, the Maitree between our two countries. We deeply appreciate with gratitude the unwavering support and cooperation extended to Bangladesh during our nine-month long struggle for independence in 1971.” He noted that Bangladesh is in the process of erecting a war memorial in Ashuganj, Bangladesh, in memory of the martyred Indian soldiers and nationals. The foundation stone laying ceremony of the monument was jointly inaugurated by the prime ministers of India and Bangladesh in March 2021 virtually. A music programme at the event The Bangladesh envoy highlighted that in the recent years, Bangladesh and India have scripted a golden chapter of bilateral ties and given new dimension and direction to their partnership. “Bangladesh-India bilateral relations are rooted in shared history and geographical proximity. Over the last decade, both the countries have witnessed remarkable progress on cooperation in a large number of areas including security, power, trade and commerce, energy, connectivity, infrastructure development, culture, people-to-people contact, and health etc. Cooperation in new areas such as space, IT, cyber security, solar power, nuclear energy etc. is also being pursued,” he explained. According to Jashim Uddin, Bangladesh has made remarkable strides in socio economic development enabling the country to transition from low income country to achieve the status of lower middle income country in 2015. “The country is on track to leave the United Nations list of least developed countries. Bangladesh is now considered one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The Bangladesh government's vision 2041 stipulates to eliminate extreme poverty and secure upper middle-income country status by 2031 and achieve the high income country status by 2041,” he added. Community leaders of both the countries as well as several other invitees also took part in the ceremony. A cake was cut to celebrate the occasion. Several cultural programmes were presented by both communities.

The Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG) and the US embassy celebrated the Year of Culture Qatar – USA 2021, with a tree-planting ceremony at QBG’s premises on Sunday, also the World Soil Day, marked annually on December 5. US embassy charge d'affaires Natalie Baker and QBG director Fatima al-Khulaifi, planted the 2000th tree of QBG’s Ghars campaign, which aims to plant 2,022 trees in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup 2022. Some of the dignitaries at the event Also present on the occasion were Hassan Jumaa Bu Jamhour al-Mohannadi, assistant undersecretary for Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; Ali bin Hassan al-Hammadi, secretary-general, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS); Machaille Hassan al-Naimi, president of Community Development, Qatar Foundation (QF) among others. Baker said: “Sustainability is not simply an offshoot of our work; it is our work. We consistently look for new and innovative ways to prioritise sustainability efforts – everything from clean energy deployment, to supporting carbon neutrality and water conservation - we are committed to doing right by the environment. Our local eco-diplomacy initiatives here in Qatar align with the United States’ global mission to protect our planet for current and future generations and is our motivation for gathering here today with our Qatari partners and friends.” “While we have made great strides in sustainability efforts, there is still much work to be done, and everyone has a part to play. Climate change is real, and it is a global issue requiring a global response. We look forward to working together with enthusiastic partners to confront ongoing climate emergencies. We are honoured to be a part of the tree-planting ceremony today, and excited to see the long-term impacts of this initiative.” Al-Khulaifi noted that since its inception over a decade ago, QBG has enjoyed excellent ties with Doha’s diplomatic community and the country’s humanitarian and environmental stakeholders. She explained: “Today’s event is a further testament to that. Over the years, we have hosted numerous tree-planting ceremonies and initiatives with embassies, including those of the UK, Switzerland, Turkey, India, and South Africa, as well as educational institutions and community organisations. “Over the past 11 months, and as part of the Year of Culture Qatar – USA 2021, QF’s QBG has also hosted multiple engagements and events with prominent US environmental stakeholders, such as the University of Arizona and the Missouri Botanical Garden, enhancing the environmental diplomacy between Qatar and the US on both an entity-to-entity and people-to-people level.” she added. On the sidelines of the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed between QBG and QRCS to plant 2.5mn trees in Qatar over a period of 10 years.

The Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG) and the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) have signed an agreement to plant 2.5mn trees in Qatar over a period of ten years. The agreement was signed by QRCS secretary-general Ali bin Hassan al-Hammadi and QBG director Fatima al-Khulaifi, on the sidelines of a tree planting ceremony by QBG and the US embassy to celebrate Qatar-USA Year of Culture 2021 as well as to mark the World Soil Day, observed on December 5 annually. According to the MoU, QBG will donate 2.5mn trees and QRCS volunteers will plant them across Qatar over a 10-year period, as part of a wider initiative by the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organisation across the Arab world and to support Qatar’s green sustainable development. It is also in line with Qatar’s pledge to plant 10mn trees by 2030 under the Middle East Green Initiative. The MoU outlines co-operation in the fields of environmental protection, food security, and charitable work in support of Qatar National Vision 2030. The agreement will pave the way for further collaborations between QBG and QRCS in the form of seminars, workshops, training courses, and study visits. Al-Hammadi said: “One of the major challenges to humanitarian action is climate change and its impact on the environment, soil, and people. In light of Qatar's general policy to pay attention to this vital issue related to the future of humanity and protection of the planet, QRCS takes it as a top priority of its 2021-2024 strategy. QRCS integrates environmental and climate-related considerations in its humanitarian and development operations both in Qatar and beyond.” “It seeks to help vulnerable communities to have resilience to such impacts and respond to natural disasters like flooding, droughts, heatwaves, desertification, wildfire, and soil salinisation. At the same time, we work to raise awareness about the importance of environmental conservation and reduction of individual and institutional behaviours that lead to environmental degradation,” explained, al-Hammadi. He also noted that QBG and his organisation aim at mitigating the impacts of climate change through this agreement. “This is part of our mandate as humanitarian, social, and development organisations. We have agreed to work together to plant some 2.5 million trees, within the parametres of QRCS’s humanitarian mission and legal capacity,” he added.

WISE, Qatar Foundation's global education initiative, has been able to make education a keyword globally, including at major non-education forums, a top official of the organisation told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview. CEO Stavros N Yiannouka recalled that from early 2010s, WISE started joining major non-educational forums around the world. In many of these forums, education was not very much featured on the agenda. Their discussions used to be around topics such as economics, jobs, security and education was always missing. "We made it our objective to include and inject education as a major topic of conversation at major forums that used to attract decision makers,” he pointed out. WISE will hold its three-day global summit from tomorrow, both virtually and in person, at Qatar National Convention Centre with the participation of several international thought leaders, academics and policy makers. “When we look back from then to the recent years, suddenly we find many of these decision makers talking about education. Education is the foundation for economic growth, for job opportunities among others. It is the tool for peace and reconciliation amongst nations. For Climate Change crisis, education is the core and for many other issues. Any problem that the world is facing, there is an education dimension and WISE has been able to highlight it to the world,” explained Yiannouka. Dr Asmaa Alfadala, director of Research and Content Development, was of the view that WISE has been able to formulate several policies so far. “We focus on three pillars of research, advocacy and programme to achieve the vision of WISE. We work with local, regional and the global community. We have started to work with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education locally. We involve policy makers from various fields based on the outcomes of research reports. We meet with them and identify the areas to be focused. We work with various stakeholders and help them in forming the policies,” said the research director. “Recently we published ten research reports including an e-book and translated it into Arabic too. These are case studies on global projects and since it is about education, most issues are globally common especially during Covid-19. Four of them are related to Qatar and the Arab region. It also provides a comparative look on how countries across the globe are managing several challenges,” she continued. Yiannouka said that Covid-19 is a major setback for education with significant learning loss all over the world and the summit will have a panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 on education. “However the learning loss is not equally and uniformly distributed as the least fortunate are bearing the brunt of it. However, we were able to leverage technology fairly quickly and efficiently and we were able to carry on education even when we needed to respond to such a mammoth public health emergency,” noted the CEO. “Covid-19 has thrown up bit of a paradox. On one hand it demonstrated what we can do with technology and how much technology can provide to balance our education systems. On the other hand, it has been very revealing what it can’t provide and how important the schools and the physical presence of students and teachers,” he highlighted. “This crisis has proved that without teacher-student collaboration, there cannot be proper learning process. Social-emotional learning happens only physically. Therefore we have also changed our approach. However, technology has changed the education scenario and in the coming decades it could be a combination of both approaches,” added Alfadala. Yiannouka highlighted that there will be a lot of focus on young people during the summit. We have launched many initiatives for the youth such as the Young Innovation Lab, Learners Voice among others. From 2015, we began engaging the schools and started opening the summit to the students. This year, we have even gone beyond and included five young curators in our planning who helped develop the programme. We have a dedicated WISE Studio where we have programmes for young people by young people,” concluded the CEO.    

Birla Public School (BPS) organised a reception in honour of Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairperson of Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest conglomerates in India. Birla, who is in Qatar on an official visit, is also the chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology & Science, and chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Kumar Mangalam Birla with HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and other dignitaries. PICTURES: Thajudheen Birla School patron HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal, BPS chairman Gope Shahani, the BPS Board of Directors, invitees, staff and students of the school were present on the occasion. Speaking to *Gulf Times on the sidelines of the event, Birla said: “This is my first visit to Qatar. Qatar is an interesting country and we are very keen to explore business opportunities here in Qatar.” A cultural programme by the students “However, there has been nothing specific as of now,” he added. “We are in discussions and it is a little early to comment. We are looking at various things here in Qatar.” Speaking at the event, Birla said that it was a great moment to visit the school, which his grandparents had set up in collaboration with local partners. Kumar Mangalam Birla is presented with a memento “There are about 50,000 students at various schools set up by my grandparents. My grandfather used to say that the school in Doha was the best school he had set up,” he said. “After coming here, I can see why he felt that way." “The quality of education is what shapes the minds of our children. With 7,500 children, Birla Public School is a huge institution even by global standards,” Birla added. “I believe that the ability and quality with which their minds are shaped, you are creating leaders of tomorrow, not just citizens of Qatar and India but true global citizens.” Children presenting a song “Such institutions are required in every part of the world that can unleash the true potential of the next generation and help them realise their dreams and aspirations,” he explained. Birla was accompanied by his son Aryaman, who is also a cricketer and had been a member of one of the Indian Premier League teams. “It is a proud moment for all of us to have Kumar Manglam Birla among us,” said Dr Mittal. “Birla Public School has been making a wonderful contribution to education and community development.” “Your presence as a business icon in Qatar will further boost bilateral relations between India and Qatar, which will deepen further the already strong and robust relations,” the envoy added. “We are also working on to have a cricket league here in Qatar.” BPS founding chairman Dr Mohan Thomas said: “It was a very emotional moment for me and the founding directors of BPS to host Kumar Mangalam Birla at the school.” “We had worked very closely with the founders of Birla institutes, Basant Kumar Birla and Sarala Birla, the grandparents of Kumar Mangalam Birla,” he added. “His visit to the school is an inspiration to us, and he is very impressed by the standards and achievements of the school both at academic and co-curricular activities.” School director Dr Lukose Chacko shared his thoughts about Kumar Mangalam Birla in a short presentation and spoke about the achievements of the school, while BPS academic director/principal Harish Sanduja highlighted the performance of Birla students at the national level over the past few years. There was also a cultural programme towards the end of the event.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a positive impact on family cohesion in Qatar, a study by Doha International Family Institute (Difi) has highlighted. “Our study found that family relationships in Qatar have become stronger despite the challenges and stresses that families faced during the pandemic," Dr Azza Abdel Moneim, director of the Research Department at Difi told Gulf Times. "Families managed to cope with the pandemic and implemented strategies to keep the members together. Families became stronger and were able to accommodate the challenges and overcome the obstacles,” she explained. The research was carried out in partnership with Qatar University's College of Education and the Department of Psychological Sciences. According to the study, 64% of the participants confirmed that the Covid-19 had positive impact on family relations. Family members became closer to each other and their relationships became stronger. One negative impact on the families during the lockdown period was that they could not visit their friends or relatives due to Covid protocols leading to some sort of social isolation for sometime. “Parents in particular spent more time with the family than before the pandemic, especially mothers who are working full time. This led parents to spend more quality time with their children. The pandemic helped families to bond with each other more than before,” continued, Dr Abdel Moneim. A total of 47 interviews were conducted - 27 Qataris and 20 non-Qataris. A total of 702 individuals, comprising 567 Qataris and 135 non-Qataris, responded to a survey. The study also showed that the participants had become more susceptible to obesity during the pandemic due to the absence of physical activities. The participants also noted that one of their major concerns was the inability to go for checkups at health facilities for fear of being infected with the virus. “The study also addressed the economic effects of the pandemic. The lockdown contributed to reducing financial spending, and thus changed individuals’ purchasing and consumption habits. Spending became focused on online shopping and buying home needs. The pandemic moreover led to salary reductions or pay cuts for some,” explained, the official. Dr Abdel Moneim remarked that the pandemic helped people realise that a lot of jobs can be done from home and that the workforce can easily adapt to changes. “This underscores the need to adopt family-friendly policies that we advocate, and which support parents as they bear the burdens of the period from pregnancy to childbirth and until the children reach school age. The child welfare study that we conducted before and after the pandemic showed that the percentage of those who spend more than 30 hours a week with their children had increased from 29% to 45%,” she maintained. The official also stated that Difi has several suggestions for the welfare of families in the country and beyond. "We recommend a social educational support programme for families such as a hotline for consultancy providing psychological and moral support to help families and enhance their ability to adapt. Another recommendation is a social support programme for the elderly people. We also advocate for the establishment of interventions programmes for children to ensure that community-based mechanisms are in place to protect children. Finally we suggest the creation of a fund to support affected private entrepreneurs," concluded, Dr Abdel Moneim.

Multinational conglomerate LuLu Group's managing director and chairman, Yusufali M A inaugurated the purpose-built new campus of Pearl Modern School at Al Meshaf on Tuesday, in the presence of a number of dignitaries. Former Minister of Communication and Information Technology HE Dr Hessa bint Sultan al-Jaber, Ministry of Education and Higher Education assistant undersecretary Omar Abdulazziz al-Naama, other Qatari dignitaries, and diplomats from Indian embassy, as well as a large number of Indian community leaders, were at the ceremony. Inaugurating the new campus, Yusufali thanked the Qatar leadership for supporting the community and taking great care of the residents of the country. “Education is incomplete without spiritual education that helps human beings to know each other and take care of the fellow beings,” he stated. “The core ideas that must be taught are the basic human values, as they will help and enable the students to be groomed into a fine young generation who will look into the wellbeing of others.” “Education is not only to learn the scientific aspects of an orange but it must also make the students understand that an orange can feed the needy,” Yusufali added. Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal said in a video message that it was a great occasion as another Indian school opens its doors. “One more school providing high quality education is a milestone for the community,” he said. “I am sure that the new school will provide all the facilities and help the students for holistic education to become promising future citizens.” School president Sam Mathew, who welcomed the guests, said it was a great occasion and a dream come true. He also said that the school is focusing on inclusive education to develop all the skills of a student. “We have acquired a new plot of 13,000sqm next to the campus, which will be developed into a multipurpose sports facility with both indoor and outdoor games,” Mathew said. “We hope to complete the development of the project within a year.” “We have got the affiliation with the Central Board of Secondary Education for classes up to 12, and our first batch of Class 12 students will appear for the board examinations in 2023,” he added. “We have also tied up with Podar Educational Group, one of India's oldest and largest education networks, comprising of 136 schools in India with a student strength of 165,000," Mathew said while recalling that the trust established in 1927 had Mahatma Gandhi as its first president. School principal Manjari Recriwal gave a short presentation about the institution and its activities over the last eight years.    

Monopoly Doha edition was launched Monday during a special event at The Pearl-Qatar Amphitheatre in the presence of the partners of the game and a good number of enthusiasts. The exclusive Monopoly Doha Edition, the first dual-language Monopoly board game in the region, is tailored for citizens, Doha residents, and tourists to enjoy with family and friends. Robert Osborne, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) territory manager of Winning Moves, the manufacturers of the official Monopoly Doha edition under license from Hasbro, said: "Building this board has been a wonderful insight into the city's history and future. Robert Osborne with Monopoly Doha edition board The beauty and culture match the diversity, creativity and ambition. Doha is a vibrant place with picturesque views and endless things to explore. I know we've captured the essence of the city, and the game reflects that so people can experience it in all its splendour." “It is the second city edition in the Mena region. I have done 17 editions around the world. I can say that this is the most beautiful edition so far for me. Hopefully, the people will see the game reflecting their city. We have pictured it making sure that Doha is a beautiful city teeming with life, with history, culture, art among many other features,” added, Odborne. Berthold Trenkel speaking at the launch event. PICTURES: Shaji Kayamkulam According to the organisers, an entire month of scouting brands and experiences provided Mr. Monopoly with the necessary insights, which helped him select the key partners that populate the unique Monopoly Doha Edition game. The attendees at the launch event had the first hands-on experience of the Middle Eastern board. Qatar Tourism chief operating officer Berthold Trenkel, said: “It will be our pleasure to welcome Monopoly to Doha and to help him experience everything this incredible destination has to offer. The Doha Monopoly board will be the perfect keepsake for visitors, as it promises to showcase the very best experiences and varied landscapes for players to enjoy at home, long after their trip.” Monopoly's newest addition to its exclusive family of games reflects an exceptional experience with a premium list of local partners. While thousands of brands and individuals wanted a spot on the board, only selected ones can now enjoy the privilege of being part of this timeless board that wraps the Qatari capital soul of yesterday, today and tomorrow. They are : Brown square – Katara Cultural Village and Aspire Park; Light Blue square – Museum of Islamic Art, 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, National Museum of Qatar by Qatar Museums; Pink square – Doha Golf Club, 365 Adventures and Souq Waqif; Orange square – Mall of Qatar, Gulf Mall Doha and Doha Festival City; Red square – Doha English Speaking School, Doha Film Institute and Education City by Qatar Foundation; Yellow square – Rixos Doha and Icon Tower by Qetaifan Island North, and Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara; Green square – Inland Sea, Barzan Towers and Al Thakira Mangroves; Dark Blue square – Corniche, The Pearl-Qatar at Qanat Quartier by UDC Qatar; Travel square – Gulf Helicopters, Metro, Dhow Cruise and Hamad International Airport and Leading authorities supporting the board is Qatar Tourism.

* Qatar’s first indoor experiential theme park sets records for ‘Tallest Indoor Rollercoaster’ and ‘Tallest Indoor Drop Tower Ride’   Quest, Qatar’s first indoor experiential theme park located in Doha Oasis, announced on Sunday that it has set two Guinness World Records for the ‘Tallest Indoor Rollercoaster’ and the ‘Tallest Indoor Drop Tower Ride.’ “We are thrilled to be recognised for our world-class signature rides, Epiq Coaster and Magma Blast. With its concept and variety of first-to-market rides and attractions, Quest has transformed the entertainment landscape in Qatar. The Guinness World Records certification further underlines the breadth of the Quest offering to our guests; this is a truly one-of-a-kind destination,” said Marcel Hendriks, general manager of Quest at an event held to mark the occasion. The Magma Blast, the tallest Indoor Drop Tower Ride, has a height of 56.409m while the Epiq Coaster is 56.736m high. The park is divided into three sections, otherwise referred to as time-dimensions: Oryxville, a portrayal of an ancient Arabian past; City of Imagination, a reflection of a wondrous present; and Gravity, a state-of-the-art bright and bold futuristic spaceport. Hendriks said the indoor theme park has been operational since July 1 this year. “The theme park has been built with the intention of having a very tall roller-coaster as well as a tall indoor drop tower ride. We are thrilled with a very encouraging response from the community. Most rides in the facility are unique. With the upcoming Arab Cup and the World Cup next year, we are extremely positive about the number of people visiting the facility,” he told Gulf Times. “Spanning 32,000sqm, Quest is a Qatar idea. It is a Qatar-based and fully Qatar-owned company and we have no connection with any other international companies. We have about 38 rides and attractions. The facility can host about 4,000 people at a time. We charge only the entry fee and people can spend the whole day and enjoy all the rides as many times as they want. The entry fee is QR225 for adults and QR150 for children,” he explained. Each of the recognised signature rides has a unique backstory that fascinates its visitors and captivates them with a strong adrenaline rush. The Magma Blast is the first attraction to capture guests' attention as they enter the park with an astonishing record-breaking height of 56.409m. The City of Imagination is home to this media-enhanced drop tower. The ride follows Quest's character Shaheen al-Habi, a Qatari geothermal engineer, as he asks guests to assist him with his massive research probe as it taps into the earth's tremendous geothermal energies before blasting up into the sky. The Epiq Coaster is the star of the show and talk of the town, with its lengthy track full of surprises that will leave even the most seasoned rider speechless. The head-spinning, adrenaline-pumping master, is the tallest indoor rollercoaster in the world and the main attraction at Gravity. The attraction features Quest’s character Spike, a space-hedgehog that takes guests on a high-speed journey around Gravity station in a futuristic solar-powered vessel. The ship rockets backwards, up a high vertical twisting spike, then plummets back down and blasts through the station in a sequence of aerial maneuvers and close encounters. With family-friendly attractions along with delectable dining options, including the world-famous Planet Hollywood restaurant, the Quest journey ends with the enchanting Time Quest retail store. Quest is part of Doha Oasis, the capital’s up-and-coming leisure and entertainment hub located in the heart of Msheireb.    

Maroon and white balloons symbolic of the national flag, fireworks, music, dances and an exotic ambience set the tone for the yearlong festivities of the countdown to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as the Indian community hosted a carnival on Friday. The event at the Ideal Indian School grounds was in support and celebration of the mega sporting event to be held from November 21 next year. Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal inaugurated the carnival exhorting the community to uphold the age old Indian principle of world as one family, ‘Vasudevakutumbakam.’ Indian Sports Centre president Dr Mohan Thomas led the activities and highlighted the community’s support for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. A video featuring football action scenes and stadiums was released by Khalid Fakhroo, head of recreation at QatarEnergy. A number of dignitaries from various organisations including the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy were present. Prominent community leaders and office bearers of the apex bodies also attended the event. Speaking at the event, ambassador Mittal said that the event was an expression of the support of the Indian community for the successful hosting of the World Cup 2022. “It is a momentous occasion for the country and the residents and being the largest community, Indian community is here to show our solidarity and support for the major global sporting event. India was the only non-Arab community to host the Arab Cup trophy which is a great recognition for our country. Today’s event is a manifestation of what the Indian community stands for in support of our host country, our second home. We are hopeful that many more Indian visitors will come to Qatar to witness the gala event. This carnival will raise many eyeballs back in India about what is in store for the visitors during the World Cup.” Dr Thomas said that the carnival was the first of many events in store to celebrate the World Cup. “We have lined up several programmes to highlight the World Cup and celebrate it all through next year. We will have more awareness campaigns about Qatar and the World Cup back in India with several initiatives in the first half of next year. We will also provide more information about Qatar and its distinct features in the campaign,” he explained. The programme included a traditional Keralite percussion ensemble, martial arts demonstration, magic show, music and dances. A good number of visitors thronged the venue from early evening There were lucky draws with attractive prizes. A team of Indian doctors and nurses, who enforced Covid-19 protocols, were also prepared to provide emergency medical aid.