*Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher graces event

Under the patronage and in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim al-Thani, wife of His Highness the Amir, Qatar University (QU) held the graduation ceremony of its 41st batch of distinguished female students at the new Sports and Events Complex Monday.
A total of 274 female students received certificates for outstanding performance during the event.
The ceremony was attended by a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and ministers, along with members of the university's administration and faculty, students' parents and guests.
This year, some 3,370 students (2,562 female and 808 male) from fall 2017, winter 2018, spring 2018 and summer 2018 are graduating from the colleges. This is the 41st batch of students to graduate from QU.
In his opening speech, Dr Hassan bin Rashid al-Derham, president of QU said: “We are honoured to graduate the 41st batch of students. We are not only celebrating today the graduation of our daughters but we are also celebrating and are proud of what our blessed nation has provided to our loyal community in Qatar.


QU president Dr Hassan bin Rashid al-Derham addressing the gathering.


The graduation ceremony was held at the new Sports & Events Complex at QU.


He highlighted the important role that women play in the development of a nation. "A woman’s standing here, is exactly as a man’s standing. And for this, please allow me to say, we are proud of what QU has accomplished and continues to accomplish in over 40 years. QU has been the leader in the field of science, developing and advancing for the good of the country,” Dr al-Derham said.
“QU has achieved a lot. It is ranked as one of the best universities in the world. In the context of excellence, many of the colleges and programmes at QU have academic accreditation from the most esteemed international institutions, a fact which proves QU’s great efforts in the world of knowledge and science,” he said.
“We proceed with the firm conviction that continuous success is linked to the constant quest to deliver the best for both our students and community, particularly due to the challenges we face on a local and global level. Higher education has changed in Qatar recently. Students now face increased spirit of competition between their peers at different educational institutions, and the ceiling has risen in terms of requirements and expectations. For this reason, it is imperative that QU keeps up with this new change, so that we offer the best for our students in various fields, as this is a duty bestowed upon us."
QU’s new strategy places an emphasis on elevating the student experience by placing the university as a pioneer and a leading educational institution in the higher education sector in Qatar and abroad. QU is committed to providing high-quality education in areas of national priority, moving towards building a knowledge-based society. 
The strategy aims to facilitate and encourage Qatari nationals to enter university and graduate with high degrees. Furthermore, QU works to increase the flexibility of educational opportunities, providing programmes for undergraduate and graduate students that meet the needs of the country’s labour market.

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