Qatar Foundation Chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, has attended the first Qatar Foundation (QF) Alumni Reunion, where hundreds of graduates of the organisation’s universities and schools reconnected at Education City to share their stories, experiences, successes, and challenges.
During the event at Al Shaqab, Her Highness shared some remarks expressing her delight with the achievements of QF’s alumni, saying: “Education City was designed to promote excellence, to be a unique hub for creativity and innovation and a place of possibility and opportunity for everyone, based on their own merit and talent.
"You have demonstrated your ability, tenacity and determination. Our graduates come from diverse backgrounds, countries, and cultures from east and west. What unites them is that they carry with them the philosophy of Qatar Foundation, spreading our values: creating, sharing and advancing knowledge.”
Her Highness highlighted the importance of the Alumni Platform launch, stating: “I am proud of the launch of the Alumni Platform, which will boost and broaden Qatar Foundation ties, and I urge you to be active on this platform, sharing ideas, debating concepts, and fulfilling Qatar Foundation’s philosophy.”
The event was also attended by QF Vice Chairperson and CEO Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, ministers, and other dignitaries. It welcomed graduates of QF’s education ecosystem, from Qatar and beyond, back to the place where they honed their skills and set their goals for the future, with the aim of encouraging them to unite and collaborate in making change happen.
The reunion was accompanied by the start of a two-day Career Fair, with employers from a range of sectors showcasing career, training, and internship opportunities to QF alumni. It took place as the QF Alumni Programme is launched, including a digital platform and app that will allow graduates of QF schools and universities to connect and work together, form mutual interest groups, find and apply for jobs, and mentor younger graduates.
Giving a keynote speech at the event, Haroon Yasin – an alumnus of QF partner university Georgetown University in Qatar – explained how his Education City experience led him to create Taleemabad, an edtech company that has digitised Pakistan’s national primary school curriculum into cartoons and games, and now reaches 10mn students.
“As I started this career, I knew that getting kids to be excited about schooling was going to be one of the most crucial pieces of creating lifelong, healthy learners,” Yasin told the Alumni Reunion.
“There are more than 17mn students going to these schools in Pakistan alone, and 140mn more across the globe. Our dream is to empower all these learners with non-stop learning, not just throughout their day, but throughout their lives.”
The event also saw QF alumni participate in an open dialogue session with members of QF leadership and key stakeholders from Qatar about their experiences and the challenges they have faced since graduating, with a view to identifying solutions.
With the QF Alumni Programme aiming to help graduates of schools and universities at Education City stay in and return to Qatar to support the nation’s development and capacity-building, the QF Alumni Office will advocate for policy changes that support this, while forming public and private sector relationships that help QF alumni find jobs in Qatar. A QF Alumni steering committee – made up of QF school and university graduates – has been formed to ensure the programme continues to meet the needs of its members.
 
 
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