Minister lays out roadmap for education in Qatar

* Minister announces 'My Skills, My Future’ initiative, aimed at supporting students to develop their future skills

* Importance of protecting national identity of Qatar’s young people highlighted

 

HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Buthaina bint Ali al-Jabr al-Nuaimi yesterday announced the ‘My Skills, My Future’ initiative and emphasised that protecting the national identity, digital transformation, support for educators and reinforcement of higher education to meet the needs of the job market are some of the key components of Qatar’s education. HE al-Nuaimi made these observations while speaking at Qatar Foundation’s Education City Speaker Series Bel Arabi at Qatar National Library, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. 'My Skills, My Future’ is currently in its planning stage, and is aimed at supporting students to develop their future skills – such as technological and communication skills – through curricula and education camps, enabling them to meet the challenges of the labour market. It is one of 13 initiatives as part of the ministry’s strategic plan for education, four of which were unveiled this week.HE the Minister highlighted the importance of protecting the national identity of Qatar’s young people from “cultural dissolution” in the information age, and equipping its students with 21st-century skills. She also noted the importance of adapting to the changing education scenario after the Covid-19 pandemic.“Education prior to Covid-19 is different from what it is after the pandemic. There is a belief that we have to re-conceptualise the system of education. Education has to change in the aftermath of the pandemic which is reality. We have to set the different strategies to overcome the negative impacts of the pandemic,” she noted.HE al-Nuaimi also spoke about how Qatar’s e-learning strategy aims to elevate students’ digital skills and “stimulate their curiosity in modern methods of learning”, and the process of shaping the nation’s education roadmap for the next eight years.“Education is a humanitarian and social process. Its primary goal is to nurture active and good human beings who believe in their role in building their society and their nation, and in contributing to spreading goodness, justice and beauty in this world,” she said.She explained that Qatar’s strategic direction for education places students at its core “so they can seek lifelong learning provided by education, flexibility, curiosity, passion and creativity”, with a focus on teachers as “role models” who “inspire and empower themselves to achieve excellence”. She remarked how the views of both students and teachers had been sought in shaping Qatar’s e-learning strategy, and described schools as being “a student’s second home, and they need to feel they belong there in order to grow”.“Education is a great responsibility that rests on everyone’s shoulders – let’s work together to keep the torch of learning glowing and make Qatar a beacon of science, knowledge, and peace in the world,” she exhorted the gathering.The discussion – which took place in the Arabic language – saw HE the Minister say: “It is imperative for us to have policies and frameworks in place to protect our young people and their national identity from cultural dissolution amid the unprecedented flow of information that comes to them across all communication channels.“Our national and local identity and our culture – inspired by our religion, our customs and traditions, and our Arabic language – is the foundation of this. It is at the core of building the Qatari personality, which is rooted in our values while at the same time being open to the world.”HE al-Nuaimi pointed out that educating children and young people “is no longer confined to sciences, or gaining knowledge”, saying: “Human skills are very important in dealing with the challenges of life."“That is why we have focused on developing our students’ 21st-century skills, encouraging them to think in a critical way which will help them transition smoothly to higher education, and then to be competitive in the regional and international labor market while being aware of the needs of this market,” she added.Reflecting Qatar Foundation’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, the Education City Speaker Series Bel Arabi event with HE al-Nuaimi was held with Arabic sign language being available.