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New Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal has lauded the efforts of the community to support fellow Indians in distress during the Covid-19 pandemic. The envoy who took charge as a few days ago also highlighted the long-standing and cordial relations between Qatar and India and assured the continued support of the embassy to endeavours aimed at the welfare of the community members. Mittal was speaking to the Indian community in his maiden address in Qatar during the Indian Independence Day celebrations at the embassy on Saturday. “Qatar and India have a very good and cordial bilateral relationship. We have seen it grow from strength to strength over the past years. The Indian community has been the backbone of this great relationship and provided the strong foundation for such a relationship to grow and prosper. During my meeting to present the credentials, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had a lot of positive things to say about the Indian community and vividly recounted the contributions of the community for the development of the country,” Mittal said. The envoy said the Indian community has worked together as one body to face the challenges posed by Covid-19. “The community came together and worked selflessly to reach out to everyone who were in distress. We worked together and showed to the world that in Qatar we represent the cosmos of the Indian society as we come together, work together and help each and every one. We helped not only fellow Indians but also other people in Qatar, which is the uniqueness of Indian culture of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam',” he said. He also thanked the government of Qatar for facilitating the return of a large number of Indians stranded in Qatar during this pandemic and said that an agreement has been reached between the tto set up an air bubble travel arrangement for the return of Indians to Qatar. “We have an understanding and agreement to setting up an air bubble travel arrangement between the two countries so that people from India and Qatar can travel and families can be reunited, students can join their educational institutions and people can return and resume their jobs. Both the Qatari and Indian authorities have worked out this arrangement,” he added.

As India marked its 74th Independence Day on Saturday, the Indian embassy in Doha held a special flag-hoisting ceremony marked by patriotic fervour in the presence of a limited number of community leaders and embassy officials. Attendance was limited to selected guests due to the regulations put in place to fight the spread of Covid-19 and the programme conducted by strictly observing the relevant protocols and guidelines. However, the event was live-streamed on the embassy's social media platforms so as to reach out to the wider community, which is estimated to have more than 700,000 members. Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal unfurled the Indian flag on the embassy premises, followed by the national anthem. He also read out the Independence Day message from Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion. Later the envoy, paid floral tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and planted a sapling on the premises along with the heads of the apex bodies of community organisations working under the aegis of the embassy as well as other attendees at the event. In his message, the Indian president underscored the sacrifices of freedom fighters and recalled the efforts of the country to become a thriving and progressive, modern nation. “The ethos of our freedom struggle forms the foundation of modern India. Our visionary leaders brought together a diversity of world views to forge a common national spirit. They were committed to the cause of liberating Bharat Mata from oppressive foreign rule and securing the future of her children. Their thoughts and actions shaped the identity of India as a modern nation,” the president said in the message. He also highlighted the efforts of the healthcare workers who have been fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and praised their selfless service. “The nation is indebted to doctors, nurses and other health workers who have been continuously at the forefront of our fight against this virus. Unfortunately, many of them have lost their lives battling the pandemic. They are our national heroes. All 'corona warriors' deserve high praise. They go much beyond their call of duty to save lives and ensure essential services. These doctors, health workers, members of disaster management teams, police personnel, sanitation workers, delivery staff, transportation, railway and aviation personnel, providers of various services, government employees, social service organisations and generous citizens have been scripting inspiring stories of courage and selfless service,” he pointed out. The Indian envoy, while addressing the gathering, spoke at length about the deep-rooted relations between Qatar and India and the support of the Government of Qatar towards the Indian community, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and with regard to the Vande Bharat Mission. “The Government of Qatar has always been supportive of the community all through these years and especially during this pandemic. With this great support, we have been able to facilitate the return of a large number of Indians, who were stranded in Qatar, to their native places. It was not a small task but a very difficult one, but was carried out successfully,” he highlighted. The event ended with the presentation of patriotic songs and a cultural programme by the students of Indian schools.

Education leaders need to adapt to the rapid transformations happening in the systems and schools, a World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) official has exhorted. “There is a general consensus now, particularly in the wake of Covid-19, about what 21st century learning looks like, but we also must apply that same criteria to our educators and school leaders,” said Dr Asmaa al-Fadala, director of Research and Content Development at WISE, a Qatar Foundation initiative, while speaking about the 2020 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and sponsored by QF on the future of higher education. The EIU report, titled ‘New schools of thought: Innovative models for delivering higher education’, highlights perspectives on future of learning as well as the needs of students and societies in a post-Covid-19 world. With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing universities to embrace online learning and disrupting traditional ways of delivering education, the report analyses how certain innovative higher education models are addressing social, political and economic challenges, highlighting how institutions must rethink the education and adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing world. Dr al-Fadala said if 21st century learning embodies an approach to education that embraces academic skill with behavioural competencies - such as collaboration, problem-solving, creativity and life-long learning – so that the learners can survive and thrive in this uncertain world, the same skills and competencies are required for the educators and school leaders to support, propel and influence this learning. “Shouldn’t we be shifting our approach to school leader development from one that centres on management to one that prioritises many of the same skills and competencies that we have recognised as necessary in our future-ready learners?” she asked, highlighting that it will necessitate a paradigm shift from ‘school leader as manager’ to school leader as agile, collaborative, technologically savvy, problem solver who supports and nurtures future-prepared systems of learning. According to the official, the Covid-19 crisis has demonstrated that a university education is now more essential than ever. “On an economic level, resilience of individuals has been highly dependent on having the knowledge and skillsets that come with advanced degrees, especially in the fields of education, technology, industry and medicine. Meanwhile, workers in other, more traditional industries have been more negatively affected, especially those whose jobs don’t afford the flexibility to work remotely. So, this crisis demonstrates the need to build expertise in those highly skilled sectors that we are finding in demand, especially given the likelihood that global issues like Covid-19 may become more common,” she explained. “What this crisis has really laid bare is that our children will enter an unprecedented world of uncertainty. Schools of the past will not prepare them for the future they will inherit and right now it is hard to even predict what that future may look like, including what career opportunities there will be. Over and over again, I keep hearing that the jobs of tomorrow may not even exist today,” added al-Fadala.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has issued a set of guidelines for home quarantine for those returning to Qatar. Besides people from Covid-19 low-risk countries, those arriving from places not on the list of low-risk countries can also undergo home quarantine provided they have obtained a Covid-free certificate from an accredited testing centre no more than 48 hours before travelling. Others will have to quarantine at government-approved hotels for a period of one week, after which the end of the quarantine period will depend on the result of a Covid-19 test. Qatar residents are allowed to return to the country from August, according to a recent statement issued by the Government Communications Office. “For home quarantine, people have to stay at home in a room with an attached bathroom separated from other family members. They should avoid any contact with other family members and don’t allow visitors. They must use a phone to contact others and must not leave home and, in the event of a medical emergency, call 999,” said Dr Muna al-Maslamani, medical director of the Communicable Disease Center and assistant head of the Infectious Diseases Division – Medicine Department at Hamad Medical Corporation. “Only one member of the family should be allowed to provide care to the quarantined person. The caregiver should wear a face mask and gloves while entering the room and should dispose of the mask and gloves and wash their hands immediately after leaving the room. A distance of at least 1.5m shall be maintained at all times,” she added. According to the guidelines, people on home quarantine must use a sanitiser or wash their hands with water and soap frequently. Everyone in the house should wash their hands regularly and avoid touching their face, mouth or nose. They must cover their mouth with a tissue while coughing or sneezing and dispose of the tissue in a trash bin and wash hands immediately. They should also avoid sharing personal household items with other people in the house and wash these items thoroughly with soap and warm water after use. People must make sure to clean and disinfect surfaces and used items at least once a day, including door handles, toilets, tables, TV remote controls and mobile phones, among others. "Single-use gloves should be used when cleaning and these need to be disposed of properly, and make sure to wash your clothes separately from other people’s clothes," she said. "Don’t share towels with other people and use your own towels." Those undergoing home quarantine must avoid preparing food for others and avoid entering the kitchen. They should eat food in their room and avoid eating or drinking with other people. "Be careful to wash the dishes separately, make sure to eat healthy food that strengthens the immune system and drink enough water (8-12 glasses a day)," she advised. Those who have chronic health condition should ensure to have adequate supply of medicines. They may use simple ways to explain the situation to children and avoid any direct contact with them. They should also get enough sleep and avoid contact with any pet in the house. Quarantined people also are advised to keep with them enough face masks, gloves, a thermometer, fever-reducing medicine such as Paracetamol, hand soap, hand sanitiser, home cleaning items, including toilet and kitchen detergents, tissue paper, alcohol wipes and closed trash bins. Those going on home quarantine must have suitable housing conditions with the availability of their own room and linked bathroom. They must sign an undertaking (including all the family members and household helpers) to abide by the rules of home-based quarantine. They must watch a video clip and review the pamphlet on home quarantine, and must apply preventive measures at home to protect others, Dr al-Maslamani stressed. Those in hotel quarantine should take a swab on Day 5 or 6 of their arrival at the designated Covid-19 quarantine centre and must answer phone calls from the public health team after being discharged for home quarantine. They must agree to receive a visit from the public health team every 2-3 days, inform the public health team if any symptoms have developed and download the Ehteraz app.

Prominent Indian community members have recalled the services of a former long-time Qatar resident, Capt H S Virdi, who passed away in India on Friday. Capt Virdi (91), recipient of the ‘M Kanjani-ICBF Award’ for 2003, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in Mumbai and is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.  He had worked in Qatar from 1977-2008 with Mannai Group. Before joining Mannai Group, he had served in the Indian Air Force and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in India. Capt Virdi was known as the ‘Bhangra Man’ of Doha, referring to the traditional Punjabi dance that he popularised in Qatar along with his colleagues.  He was the camp commander for Mannai family’s accommodation and camp, where more than 1,000 workers and staff members resided, another long-time Indian resident in Doha recalled, adding that the Mannai camp had its own supermarket, mess hall, play areas and gym. He used to take a lot of initiatives in organising events such as sports days, including family games, tug-of-war and folk dance and cultural events, among others. He also established a Bhangra dance troupe, which was always the highlight of cultural events.  The Indian embassy, Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) and many community associations used to invite the troupe to perform at their programmes. Recalling his services to the community, P N Baburaj, president of Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF), said the Indian community always looked up to Capt Virdi’s services during his time in Qatar.  “ICBF honoured Capt Virdi with the ‘M Kanjani - ICBF Award’ for the year 2003 for his meritorious services to the community. He was a true philanthropist and was loved by all the members of community. His Bhangra dance team always entertained the public at all major events of the community,” Baburaj added. “Capt Virdi was a much-loved and respected Indian among the community members for his multifaceted roles and several services he selflessly rendered for the community. He and his Bhangra team members regularly presented several programmes at ICC cultural events,” recalled A P Manikantan, ICC president. M I Farid, a long-time resident and a close associate of Capt Virdi during his days in Doha, said he has lost a very good friend and a good human being.  “Capt Virdi was a selfless human being who worked tirelessly for the community with all the resources available with him. While his Bhangra team was the talk of the town, he had a dedicated team of staff who were ready to help the community activities at any time around the country,” he added.

* Capt H S Virdi was honoured with 'M Kanjani - ICBF Award' - 2003 for his meritorious services to community Prominent Indian community members have recalled the services of a former long-time Qatar resident, Capt H S Virdi, who passed away in India on Friday. Capt Virdi (91), recipient of the ‘M Kanjani - ICBF Award’ for 2003, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in Mumbai and is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. He had worked in Qatar from 1977 to 2008 with Mannai Group. Before joining Mannai Group, he had served in the Indian Air Force and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in India. Capt Virdi was known as the ‘Bhangra Man' of Doha, referring to the traditional Punjabi dance that he popularised in Qatar along with his colleagues. He was the camp commander for Mannai family’s accommodation and camp, where more than 1,000 workers and staff members resided, another long-time Indian resident in Doha recalled, adding that the Mannai camp had its own supermarket, mess hall, play areas and gym. Capt Virdi and his team performing during the 2003 Indian Independence Day celebrations. Photo supplied by Ashraf, ICC He used to take a lot of initiatives in organising events such as sports days, including family games, tug-of-war and folk dance and cultural events, among others. He also established a Bhangra dance troupe, which was always the highlight of cultural events. The Indian embassy, Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) and many community associations used to invite the troupe to perform at their programmes. Recalling his services to the community, P N Baburaj, president of Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF), said the Indian community always looked up to Capt Virdi’s services during his time in Qatar. “ICBF honoured Capt Virdi with the 'M Kanjani - ICBF Award' for the year 2003 for his meritorious services to the community. He was a true philanthropist and was loved by all the members of community. His Bhangra dance team always entertained the public at all major events of the community,” Baburaj added. “Capt Virdi was a much-loved and respected Indian among the community members for his multifaceted roles and several services he selflessly rendered for the community. He and his Bhangra team members regularly presented several programmes at ICC cultural events,” recalled A P Manikantan, ICC president. M I Farid, a longtime resident and a close associate of Capt Virdi during his days in Doha, said he has lost a very good friend and a good human being. “Capt Virdi was a selfless human being who worked tirelessly for the community with all the resources available with him. While his Bhangra team was the talk of the town, he had a dedicated team of staff who were ready to help the community activities at any time around the country,” he added.

As a part of its sustainability strategy, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has committed to implement an exclusive green certification – titled GSAS Construction Management (GSAS-CM) – specifically to improve projects’ environmental performance during construction. A fundamental part of GSAS-CM certification is dust control, which has been exercised by all eight venues and permanent offices of the SC. In fact, most of these venues have managed to be awarded with the highest recognition for dust control under GSAS-CM. Bodour al-Meer Dust control is one of the main activities audited by the sustainability experts at the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (Gord). Based on a project’s performance in 25 criteria within eight categories that cover aspects from environmental conservation and pollution mitigation to workers’ welfare and safety on site, GSAS-CM auditors witness on-site construction practices to decide the sustainability fulfillment at the stadiums. “As Qatar continues its urban built development, we are seeing a range of environmental issues arising from the construction phase that need to be tackled. To address these problems, Gord has developed GSAS Construction Management (GSAS-CM) certification, which looks into the onsite construction process and practices carried out by contractors and builders. These have been implemented in the construction of stadiums and at many other construction sites all over Qatar,” said Dr Yousef Alhorr, founding chairman, Gord. With dust management being an integral part of the stadiums' environmental performance, all eight venues for Qatar 2022 are targeting the highest sustainability certifications under the GSAS framework. Bodour al-Meer, Sustainability & Environment senior manager at the SC, said: “Stadiums are the heart of any football tournament. These are the places where cherished memories for players, spectators and organisers are created. We have built our stadiums for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with long-term sustainability and environmental management as core concepts. To ensure tangible and credible sustainability outcomes, we have implemented the GSAS certification system. “Everyone involved in stadium construction understands the value of sustainability and protecting the environment. By working together, we have created a genuine learning legacy of environmental protection and sustainable development in the design and construction sector.” All the projects have taken care to mitigate dust from stockpiles through the use of green plastic nets to cover stockpiles of soil and excavated materials. Similarly, trucks and other vehicles carrying construction materials are covered with nets to prevent the dispersion of dust and particulate matter during transportation. For long-term stockpiles, some stadium sites have utilised more durable and thicker layers of tarpaulin, which is both low maintenance and more effective at protecting the materials from extremely hot summers. Similarly, road sweepers are commonly used on paved hauling roads on site and adjacent public roads to take care of the dust from vehicles on site. These machines help remove soil and mud from the road surfaces, thereby preventing dispersion of dust from the movement of heavy vehicles. Qatar 2022 stadiums have gone one step further by installing vehicle washouts at the construction sites’ gates. Similarly, decreasing the commute of vehicles carrying soil and other materials is another dust control technique adopted by decreasing the distance between stockpiles and backfilling areas. Some construction activities generate more dust than others, and barriers are used around those areas. Installing barriers around cutters and crushers can significantly reduce the amount of dust in the air. As the crushers are utilised at some stadium sites in Qatar, the material to be crushed is watered in order to reduce dust dispersion. Similarly, these crushers are covered with nets, while water sprays are used to suppress the dust. Dust blown away during loading and unloading of soil and aggregates can be mitigated by spraying water over these building materials. At some stadiums, cannons are used to spray water. As opposed to commonly used hoses, these cannons create enough pressure so that not only are the materials made wet but any dissipated dust in the air is also drawn down. Due to the closed nature of indoor spaces, dust can also have adverse effects on human health. Therefore, de-dusting systems have been introduced to filter pollutants from indoor air along with ample ventilation to mitigate any toll on the health and safety of workers inside a facility. Monitoring project sites for concentrations of particulate matters of different sizes is another method that assists the formulation of effective strategies to control dust. In addition to standard monitoring practices performed through different periods of the construction, some stadium sites in Qatar went the extra mile with the use of state-of-the-art equipment that helps constant monitoring, thereby creating detailed '24/7/365' data for improved strategies.

Indian community members bid farewell to outgoing ambassador P Kumaran and his wife Ritu Kumaran, through a virtual event yesterday. Kumaran will take charge as the as India’s next high commissioner in Singapore. About 500 community members, including officials of various bodies under the Indian embassy, took part in the virtual event. All of them wished the outgoing envoy and his wife success in their future endeavours. Several members who spoke on the occasion highlighted the services of Kumaran towards the community as well as his efforts to strengthen relations between Qatar and India. They also spoke highly about his activities in promoting Indian cultural activities as well as holding major cultural shows during the Qatar-India 2019 Year of Culture. The speakers also referred to his great interactions for the uplift of the neediest members of the community and his efforts to solve the problems of the members at various levels. His involvement and efforts to assist the community members during the Covid-19 pandemic drew special mention. They pointed out that Kumaran worked day and night to help the needy people and ensure all assistance, especially for the repatriation of distressed community members during the pandemic. In his reply, Kumaran said it was a fruitful and pleasant experience for him to be in Qatar and urged the community members to stay united and work for the betterment of both Qatar and India.  Ritu Kumaran also addressed the gathering. “It is important that we all stay united despite several differences, being such a large community. During this tenure, the trade volume between Qatar and India increased significantly and the Indian population (in Qatar) also surged ahead and reached new heights. We had only three apex bodies for the community and now there are four. There were plans to lay the foundation for a new embassy building but that could not be materialised,”  Kumaran said. “More than 30,000 Indian nationals have been repatriated during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have also been able to provide assistance to 20,000-30,000 people during the crisis. I was also fortunate to attend a large number of medical camps all these years and see a large number of low-income workers benefit from it,” he added. Speakers from the community included  Indian Sports Centre president Hassan Chougule and its advisory board chairman Sanaullah A R; Indian Cultural Centre president A P Manikantan and its advisory board chairman K M Varghese; Indian Community Benevolent Forum president P N Baburaj and advisory board chairman Dr Mohan Thomas; and Indian Business and Professional Council president Azim Abbas and advisory committee chairman C V Rappai.  Prominent community member and CEO of Doha Bank Dr R Seetharaman delivered a video message.

In a significant move and for the first time, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras - India’s premier technical institute - has announced the launch of an online undergraduate degree programme for Indian students and professionals around the world. With more than 700,000 Indians in Qatar, this is being seen as a great opportunity for several of them - students as well as professionals - to get a degree from such a prestigious institute. A BSc degree course in ‘Programming and Data Science’, claimed to be the first online undergraduate programme on the subject by IIT Madras, is in line with the current trends of education as well as one of the most sought-after education programmes. Application for the programmes will be opened shortly and the last date for submission of application is tentatively September 15. There are 23 IITs in India with 11,279 seats in undergraduate programmes. Every year, tens of thousands of students appear for one of the toughest entrance examinations to get into these world-renowned institutes for these many seats and only a small percentage of the topmost make it. Therefore, it is a golden opportunity for the students as well as other professionals to get a degree or diploma from such an institute. For the first time, anyone can work towards an undergraduate degree or diploma from an IIT regardless of their age or location, and with a wide range of academic backgrounds. The programme is split into three levels that have to be completed strictly in sequence: Foundational Level (8 courses); Diploma Level (6 Programming courses + 6 Data Science courses) and Degree Level (11 courses). What makes it more attractive is that it has several exit points as the students can take up the Foundation Level or Diploma Level or complete the three-year programme and get the degree. The IIT Madras Senate approves the diploma and degree and those who complete the degree become alumni of the institute. “IIT Madras is pioneering a completely online programme to produce graduates who will be employable in the sector that presently has high demand - Programming and Data Science. The programme uses an innovative combination of online learning and in-person assessment and is flexible and affordable. I believe the programme will be a game changer in the field of education in India in the coming years and inspire other top-ranking institutions to launch many such online initiatives,” said Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director of IIT Madras while launching the programme. The qualifying process is through an online programme to be completed in four weeks. All those who apply will have four weeks of online courses and assignments to be completed. Those who get minimum required scores in weekly assignments in the four weeks will get to write qualifier exam broadly based on the four weeks of content. Those who get the minimum required scores in qualifier exam will register for Foundational Level courses. The programme can be pursued as a second degree by someone currently in college. Anyone who has dropped out of/completed their bachelor’s degree can also apply. There is no age or stream or geographical restrictions for the applicants.

Qatar is proactively managing the Covid-19 crisis with proven flexibility and resilience, says an article by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The article by Aysun Ozen Tacer, consulting director of PwC Qatar, notes that Qatar is way ahead of other countries in the number of people tested per 1,000 for Covid-19 and has tested 13.10% of the total population as of July 2. “Qatar is proactively managing the Covid-19 crisis and planning accordingly for the transition to the new normal. This is largely thanks to its strong healthcare policies and capabilities. From an infrastructure and operational capability perspective, Qatar has proven to be flexible and resilient,” said Tacer. Tacer notes that Qatar has managed the infrastructure in different ways. “Qatar has confined the admission of Covid-19 patients to seven specialised hospitals and testing spots, thus creating a safe environment for other patients whilst maximising the impact against Covid-19. This brought a considerable asset efficiency. It increased bed capacity with the addition of two field hospitals - built in under three weeks; leveraged non-healthcare assets for quarantine and established mobile testing units,” Tacer said. Tacer has also highlighted Qatar’s testing operations and its efficiency. “We have seen one of the best examples of agile operation capability in Qatar, especially in testing operations. Qatar successfully deployed a team to execute random tests at workplaces and homes in high-risk areas and enabled monitoring of results. Qatar’s relatively high number of cases has been attributed to its aggressive testing strategy,” Tacer noted. “Since early May, Qatar tested at a level of at least 1.5 out of 1,000 residents daily, a significantly higher ratio than many other countries (the testing ratio of the UK is less than 1 person per 1,000 people, South Korea is less than 0.6). Between February 27 and June 23, Qatar has tested over 11% of its population," the official said, noting that the low rate of fatalities is an additional indicator of operational agility and success of Qatar’s efforts. According to the article, one of the critical factors of Qatar’s operational success has been its ability to manage the healthcare workforce. “Qatar avoided shortage of workforce through promptly and effectively engaging volunteers who are essentially experienced staff of Red Crescent, senior students of nursing and medical schools. “Qatar already adapted some alternative channels of healthcare delivery, such as Hamad Medical Corporation’s applications like online consultation or virtual geriatrics clinics that are specially designed to protect vulnerable patients and to serve them in the comfort of their home. Obviously Ehteraz, the mobile contact tracing application is on the way to evolving a full scope preventive medicine tool. Digital healthcare being one of the key pillars of Smart Qatar (Tasmu) programme, we expect a surge in the number of entrepreneurs who develop products and services in digital healthcare,” Tacer said. The official said Covid-19 is accelerating positive disruption in the healthcare system globally. “The healthcare sector is both affected by the Covid-19 disease and is the ultimate enabler of the new normal. Indeed, the success of any economy or society in surviving the waves of Covid-19 will be determined by how resilient, adaptive and responsive their respective healthcare system is. Evidently, we are beginning to observe healthcare emerge as a new form of national defence, security and economic development worldwide,” Tacer said. “We have seen the Covid-19 response of Qatar as a coherent and well-organised approach, which is executed as a national defence plan in alignment with the country’s existing infrastructure, capabilities and societal structure. Qatar’s healthcare system has been enduring one of the toughest tests of history and surviving with even higher resilience and adaptive capacity.” The PwC official also said that flexible infrastructure is key both for managing the peak crisis and the aftermath. “Maintaining testing facilities and laboratories as independent units away from hospitals, managing existing infrastructure to fit in changing needs with flexible overlay, and focusing on restructuring operations rather than infrastructure are the critical initiatives, both for today and tomorrow. Telecare and telemedicine have long been present; yet now, with Covid-19, digital innovation has taken the spotlight. Contact tracing apps, such as Ehteraz of Qatar, have already been normalised as a part of the Covid-19 fight, yet it looks like they are here to stay; and stay with further enhanced functionality to serve as a preventive medicine tool," Tacer added.

In what could be a first-of-its-kind internationally, a team of researchers led by a Qatari professor is developing a bilingual online platform to provide remote learning access for children with autism, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, Gulf Times has learnt. “We are working to develop technologies within three months to help children with autism in their learning process," disclosed, Dr Dena Ahmed S al-Thani, the project lead and assistant professor in the College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). "It is an online education platform and it is important now as children are forced to stay home due to Covid-19 and learn online. Such a technology will help children with autism learn, understand and engage better,” she explained. The project 'Mixed-Reality Interactive Educational Platform to Support Remote Learning for Children with Autism' by Dr Dena and her team was recently awarded a grant under the Rapid Response Call (RRC) by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), a Qatar Foundation entity to complete the project in three months’ time. RRC enables researchers to develop rapid solutions to mitigate the impact that Covid-19 on different sectors in Qatar. Dr Dena said that children with autism used to have one-to-one access with their therapists but it is not possible in the present situation as there are no physical classes. “Now we are developing technologies to help them access education remotely using virtual reality, mixed reality and augmented reality. We use specific technology that we have developed at College of Science and Engineering. This is the continuation of what we have been engaged in. We have been working on such technologies for the past four years and have published various research papers,” explained Dr Dena. “Our idea is to develop a highly functional prototype and we have already started the project. We have the capacity to complete the prototype by the end of three months and we have the team ready and working on it,” she continued. The academic also revealed that the idea is to take it internationally. “It will be an application both in Arabic and English. We want to take it beyond Qatar and the region. No such technology is available now internationally and we see the gap and want to make use of the potential for such a technology in the market,” pointed out the official. The research grant under RRC will contribute to the development of this platform on a fast-track basis, so it can be deployed on an urgent basis in schools and other centres that offer educational services for autistic children. “We hope this can be used as the schools resume for the next academic session. This is an e-platform for students, teachers and the parents. We will be using innovative ideas such as 3D objects to engage students. A recent study has revealed that one out of 86 children in Qatar suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder and this tool would be highly useful for all the educational institutes dealing with children with autism. Shafallah Centre alone has over 800 such students,” noted the professor. Dr Dena also said that her team is looking into ways of detecting the attention of an autism child. “The idea is to detect the attention of the child objectively rather than subjectively. It is hard for someone to know if a child with autism is giving attention. Only trained people can understand this as children with autism do not look at people directly. We are making use of eye tracking and facial expression using a web cam to assess a child. This project has been in the use for the past three years and we have received a provisional patent for the use of the technology from the US,” she concluded. Dr Dena along and her team of faculty members, PhD students and post-doctoral researchers including Dr Kamaran Khawaja, Dr Marwa Qaraqe and Bilikis Banire and others, work closely with end users. They are supported in this project by Mada Assistive Technology Centre and Shafallah Centre.

A total of 176 Indians, including two infants, flew free-of-cost to Kochi, India, Wednesday on a chartered flight organised by a community organisation. The noble mission came as a big relief to those who had been undergoing distressing conditions and have been unable to go home due to Covid-19 pandemic scenario. Pravasi Coordination Committee Qatar (PCCQ), a body of various Indian community organisations in the country, had announced last week the free chartered flight to help the most distressed and stranded members of the community. Some of the passengers waiting at HIA to board the free chartered flight to Kochi  The GoAir flight which took off from Hamad International Airport at 10.30am, landed in Kochi by 5pm. “Within a day of the announcement, we had received about 1,500 applicants requesting for the travel facility. It was a difficult task to select passengers for this flight as all of them deserved to be repatriated at the earliest. Finally, we were able to provide assistance to 176 passengers to return to their homeland,” Nizar Kocheri, chairman, PCCQ, said. He recalled that the decision to charter a free flight was taken considering the prevailing situation among some of the community members due to Covid-19, especially those who had reached Qatar on ‘On arrival Visa’, ‘Visit Visa’ as well as others on health and financial grounds. VC Mashood, general convener of PCCQ noted that it was a great moment of happiness as the organisation was instrumental in helping so many people. “It is a moment of fulfillment for us as we could repatriate a group of the most genuine and deserving community members. We are indebted to a large number of organisations and individuals for their support and encouragement in making this happen at the earliest,” he highlighted. The official also said that the organisation is planning to help the other needy people to be repatriated and is hoping that more individuals and organisations will come forward to associate with such a noble mission. “If more organisations and individuals come forward to assist the needy members of the community, we will be able to help many more by organising such flights to other destinations. All the little contributions will go a long way in helping the distressed members of the community,” he added.

Pravasi Co-ordination Committee, Qatar (PCCQ), a body of various Indian community organisations in the country, has appealed to the community members to provide support for repatriation of the most distressed compatriots.  “We received over 1,500 applications for a free-of-cost chartered flight to Kochi with 180 seats. On closer scrutiny, we were convinced that all of them deserve to be repatriated at the earliest as they are in distress due to various reasons. As our first free flight to Kochi is set to fly on July 1, we are exploring ways to help the other members too,” Nizar Kocheri, chairman of PCCQ told Gulf Times. The organisation set several proposals to the community members in helping the distressed community members to be repatriated.   “We are not asking for huge amounts of money for this noble cause. We are appealing to individuals who can support through smaller contributions. Those who are interested in this initiative, can join the movement in several ways,” explained Kocheri. The forum has set up mainly four proposals. Depending on the financial capacity, individuals can either sponsor full or half travel expenses of one person.  They can also identify a needy person who has to travel and bear the expenses of the person. In addition, anyone who needs to travel to India, can travel in the flight, provided that he meets the expenses of another passenger too.   “Several organisations had come forward to help us in our first free flight. As we have identified more passengers who are equally eligible to travel at the earliest, we request the community members to come forward and join in this noble initiative. Your small gesture of support will go a long way in helping several needy people to reach home and join their family members, “added, V C Mashood, general convener of PCCQ. Those who wish to support the initiative can join by registering through the link:  https://bit.ly/3hZey00. Motivational session PCCQ is organising an online motivational session for the passengers of the flight that will depart on July 1. Many of the passengers have gone through difficulties due to loss of job and other distressing situations. Considering the mental condition of the passengers, and to provide them with a ray of hope in their life, PCCQ has arranged this motivational session. Noted motivational speaker Dr C A Razak will speak on Zoom application today (Monday) at 5pm and will be available through the meeting id: 93926997383. The organisation has also informed that the programme is open to all.

Pravasi Co-ordination Committee, Qatar (PCCQ), a body of various Indian community organisations in the country, has appealed to the community members to provide support for repatriation of the most distressed compatriots. “We received over 1,500 applications for a free-of-cost chartered flight to Kochi with 180 seats. On closer scrutiny, we were convinced that all of them deserve to be repatriated at the earliest as they are in distress due to various reasons. As our first free flight to Kochi is set to fly on July 1, we are exploring ways to help the other members too,” Nizar Kocheri, chairman of PCCQ told Gulf Times. The organisation set several proposals to the community members in helping the distressed community members to be repatriated. “We are not asking for huge amounts of money for this noble cause. We are appealing to individuals who can support through smaller contributions. Those who are interested in this initiative, can join the movement in several ways,” explained Kocheri. The forum has set up mainly four proposals. Depending on the financial capacity, individuals can either sponsor full or half travel expenses of one person. They can also identify a needy person who has to travel and bear the expenses of the person. In addition, anyone who needs to travel to India, can travel in the flight, provided that he meets the expenses of another passenger too. “Several organisations had come forward to help us in our first free flight. As we have identified more passengers who are equally eligible to travel at the earliest, we request the community members to come forward and join in this noble initiative. Your small gesture of support will go a long way in helping serval needy people to reach home and join their family members, “added, VC Mashood, general convener of PCCQ. Those who wish to support the initiative can join by registering through this link.

As the Government of India has allowed more chartered flights to repatriate Indians stranded in various countries, several community organisations and forums in Qatar, as well as companies, have come forward to organise free-of-cost flights for people in need. These entities are using the services of different airlines for this purpose, it is learnt. The chartered flights are in addition to the flights operated under the Indian government's Vande Bharat Mission. According to the Indian embassy, 39 company-hired charters and as many community-hired charters have been operated from Doha to various destinations in India till date, helping repatriate thousands of Indians. One such flight, organised by Azym Technologies, an IT solutions and cloud technology company based in Qatar, took off for Kochi Saturday. Open to the "most-deserving" community members, the passengers were among the neediest community members who included people who had lost their jobs, whose visas had expired as well as pregnant women, among others. About 175 distressed people were given free tickets. “We have carried some 175 passengers to Kochi free of cost. All of them are from the neediest members of the Indian community here in Qatar. We are glad that we were able to help a good number of fellow Indians during this pandemic as part of our corporate social responsibility,” Shafeek Kabeer, founder and CEO of Azym Technologies, told Gulf Times. The official also told that the company has sponsored another 50 passengers on a chartered flight organised by another Indian forum. “In addition to chartering a free-of-cost flight, we have also helped a number of people during this pandemic in various forms. We have also plans to help more people reach India in the coming days,” added Kabeer. The Pravasi Co-ordination Committee Qatar (PCCQ) said it has completed the formalities for a free flight to Kochi. It had earlier announced the flight for the "most deserving" individuals. “Our free-of-cost flight will fly to Kochi on July 1. We had over 1,500 applications and the most deserving 180 people out of them have been shortlisted. The details have been provided to the authorities concerned. We are co-ordinating with the Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) for the final steps to complete their repatriation,” said Dr Nizar Kochery, chairman of PCCQ. Dr Kochery said that in addition to the ICBF, several other forums have also come forward to support the initiative. “These include Galfar Al Misnad, Coastal Trading, Trey Trading, Gulf Asia, Thiroor Pravasi Association as well as Kochery Associates. We hope to assist more people as the number of needy people is quite huge and there are many on the waiting list,” he added. A free flight arranged by Cultural Forum, Qatar is scheduled to leave for Kozhikode with 171 passengers Sunday morning. “The flight has been organised by Cultural Forum in collaboration with the Centre for Indian Community Qatar as well as Azym Technologies. We had earlier announced 100 free tickets to India and many have already travelled using this facility on the Vande Bharat flights,” said Taj Aluva, president, Cultural Forum, Qatar. Incas Qatar, too, had announced registration for a free chartered flight to Kozhikode for distressed people. The registration for the same was completed Saturday and officials said more details would be made available soon. Similarly, a repatriation flight organised by Indian expatriate group Chaliyar Doha left for Kozhikode recently with 176 passengers and six infants.

About 40% of low and lower-middle income countries have not supported disadvantaged learners during Covid-19 school shutdown, according to 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report of Unesco, revealed at a recent World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) event. The second part of Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined series, a three-day event organised by WISE, a think tank of Qatar Foundation in collaboration with Salzburg Global Seminar and HolonIQ was concluded on Thursday. The report also points that less than 10% of countries have laws that help ensure full inclusion in education. Discussing the report at the WISE forum, GEM director, Manos Antoninis of Unesco, said, “Identity, background and ability still dictate education opportunities and children with disabilities are two-and-a-half times more likely never to go to school than their peers and, in at least 20 countries, no girls in poor rural areas complete secondary school.” The 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report: Inclusion and education – All means all says, “There is an exacerbation of exclusion during the Covid-19 pandemic and 40% of low and lower-middle income countries have not supported disadvantaged learners during Covid-19 school shutdown.” The report provides an in-depth analysis of key factors for exclusion of learners in education systems worldwide including background, identity and ability such as gender, age, location, poverty, disability, ethnicity, indigeneity, language, religion, migration or displacement status, sexual orientation or gender identity expression, incarceration, beliefs and attitudes. The report urges countries to focus on those left behind as schools reopen so as to foster more resilient and equal societies. The report also found that inequality has contributed to the education crisis caused by Covid-19. It also states that understanding of the importance of inclusive education needs to be widened, funding should be focused on those left behind, governments should encourage parents and communities to help design inclusive education policies; and inclusive practice should be a core rather than a specialised topic for teachers’ development. “In a world increasingly faced with uncertainty and precariousness,” said Antoninis, “inclusion has to be central to the future of education.” This year’s GEM report notes that 258mn children and youth were entirely excluded from education, with poverty as the main obstacle to access. It also points out that 10-year old students in middle and high-income countries who were taught in a language other than their mother tongue typically scored 34% below native speakers in reading tests. In 10 low- and middle-income countries, children with disabilities were found to be 19% less likely to achieve minimum proficiency in reading than those without disabilities. GEM Report team has also launched a new website, PEER, with information on laws and policies concerning inclusion in education for every country in the world. PEER shows that many countries still practise education segregation, which reinforces stereotyping, discrimination and alienation. However, the report has highlighted that many countries were using positive, innovative approaches to transition towards inclusion. Many were setting up resource centres for multiple schools and enabling mainstream establishments to accommodate children from special schools. “Covid-19 has given us a real opportunity to think afresh about our education systems. But moving to a world that values and welcomes diversity won’t happen overnight. There is an obvious tension between teaching all children under the same roof and creating an environment where students learn best. But, Covid-19 has showed us that there is scope to do things differently, if we put our minds to it,” added Antoninis.

A panel discussion on the second day of the ‘Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined Series; Part II’ by World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) examined the new avenues of education, emerging out of the Covid-19 pandemic scenario.  The online forum held in collaboration with Salzburg Global Seminar and HolonIQ, discussed the topic ‘Future-proofing learning ecosystems’ where the participants highlighted the big need for solidarity and interdependence to overcome the challenges. They also highlighted that it needs multi-level stakeholder participation in both the online and material space, without creating silos of information and resources. Moderated by Danilo Padilla, education specialist, Unesco, the panellists included Fatma al-Remaihi, CEO, Doha Film Institute; Rosie Clayton, co-founder, Weaving Lab, UK; and Akshay Chaturvedi, founder & CEO, Leverage Edu, India. “Technology has been a main enabler during these days and online classes made good of the lost time. We also need to understand there must be more collaboration and co-operation to take the situation forward and ensure a better learning ecosystem for the students,” noted Clayton.  According to al-Remaihi, the crisis has turned out to be an opportunity for creative industries by learning new things. She explained, “We have adopted new ways of working by getting equipped with new tools and using digital platforms. The entire Qumra Festival was done online and all the mentoring sessions and other programmes were done in a new way very effectively.” Chaturvedi pointed out that these are interesting times for education and ‘the big need of the time is solidarity’. “We need inter-dependence to tide over the crisis. Only then, we can make use of the existing tools effectively and everything can be put together diligently,” he noted. However, he argued that the world of education must look for new areas.  “Many of these tools were in existence for some time and we could effectively make use of them during this crisis period. There should be new and more such tools with grounded structure which might take a while to be materialised,” he added.

While Covid-19 is creating several hurdles for girls’ education, poverty and patriarchy are already two major problems faced by girls’ education in several countries, an educationist told attendees at online education event on Wednesday. Safeena Husain, founder of Educate Girls, India was speaking on the second day of the ‘Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined Series; Part II’ organised by World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in collaboration with Salzburg Global Seminar and HolonIQ. “Vulnerable girls should be at the centre of new design in education in the post-Covid-19 scenario. Poverty and patriarchy are two major challenges for girl students in many countries for their education and in realising their real potential,” said Husian while delivering the keynote address at the forum. According to Husain, Covid-19 has thrown up a number of challenges for this vulnerable category of students. “Covid-19 has led to reverse migration and loss of job for millions of daily workers. This will lead to more poverty among these sections of the society. This crisis is going to widen the inequality in education and we need to take urgent steps to address the issue. During the Ebola crisis in Africa, the number of girl students going out of schools tripled resulting in wide disparity in the societies,” she explained. The gender equality advocate argued that the drawback due to poverty and patriarchy in girls’ education can be overcome through recovery, release and reimagination of the education scenario. "The recovery plan must include food distribution and awareness-building for children and social security plans for the most marginalised students. Steps must be taken to ensure that children attend school free of hunger and they must have access to nutritious food,” she said. “There must be safety for the children in the schools especially for girl children. This must be monitored and implemented in true spirit that girls come back to schools when they are reopened. Another aspect to be looked at is the emotional wellbeing of the children. They must be provided psychosocial support, especially during times of lockdown. There must also be a balance between online and offline learning ,providing blended learning by reimaging the educational system,” she concluded.