QF equips young people with skills to excel: Sheikha Hind

Innovation in education is at the heart of Qatar Foundation's work that leads to empowering students with the skills to succeed in all walks of life, HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of the foundation has said.
She stressed that the future programmes of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) will focus on the development of the educational environment in Qatar to help students build self-confidence, develop critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as developing creative solutions to life and societal challenges.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE Sheikha Hind said a strong example of the efforts QF exerts in the field of innovation in education is the success of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), one of the world’s largest educational conferences, which was launched in 2009.
'WISE now occupies a prominent position as an international forum which seeks to build the future of education through innovation and creativity,' HE Sheikha Hind said.
In this context, the QF Vice Chairperson and CEO said the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is one of the best examples of multi-disciplinary cooperation among the international healthcare community.
In fact, WISH hosts some of the most important innovators in healthcare.
HE Sheikha Hind pointed out that WISH’s contributions are not confined to local achievements, but also impact on the international level.
A good example would be how WISH has helped Apollo Hospitals in building a strategy to enhance patient safety in India, she explained.
The two-day biennial WISH Summit begins in Doha on Tuesday.
WISE hosts some of the leading education experts, educators and policymakers in the world, in order to promote education, she said, referring to the "Voice of the Learners" programme, a WISE initiative, which seeks to benefit from the views of youth to restructure the educational system, and prepare them to assume leadership roles in their fields of specialisation.
On the most important achievements of Qatar Foundation during the past 20 years, HE Sheikha Hind said Qatar Foundation contributes to the progress of Qatar through education, research and development, and community development, adding that 'our priority is to empower individuals and communities by investing in the future of Qatar and to providing a better future for all.'
All efforts start with education, she said, stressing QF's commitment to the concept of lifelong learning and to provide an ecosystem where education can impact the life of every person.
'We provide comprehensive educational programmes from nursery to higher education, giving students the necessary skills to thrive in a global environment," she said.
In this context, HE Sheikha Hind said QF is also committed to enabling young people to address local and global R&D challenges, with the objective of empowering youth to become experts and contributors to areas of priority for our nation.
''We are currently witnessing impressive outcomes as a result of the efforts exerted by our students and graduates, which are helping to transform Qatar into an international centre for innovation excellence," she explained.
QF continues its journey to make a positive impact in Qatar, and across the wider world, through focusing on our four areas of interest - Pre-University Education, Higher Education, Research and Development, and Community Development, she added.
She also spoke about the role played by Education City, QF’s flagship development, that serves as a hub of academic excellence.
It houses a range of educational facilities, from QF schools to partner universities, and the homegrown institution, Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU).
On QF's efforts to support international cooperation, HE Sheikha Hind said the foundation implements joint programmes with its global partners designed to drive outreach efforts forward.