Qatar's PM opens QS-MAPLE conference and exhibition

HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani opened the 5th Middle East and North Africa Professional Leaders in Education Conference and Exhibition (QS-MAPLE) at Grand Hyatt Doha on Tuesday morning.

Addressing the opening of the Conference, HE the Prime Minister underlined that the development of education in the State of Qatar is a key pillar of the country's modern renaissance and represents one of the main objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030, which seeks to enable the country, with all power, to reach a knowledge-based economy.

"In order to reach a knowledge-based economy, we need to build a strong scientific and research base in the State of Qatar, mainly the higher education. All efforts - academic institutions, government and private sectors, and mainly the industry sector, must be combined in order to achieve this goal," HE the Premier said.

The wise leadership of Qatar has already realized the importance of scientific research, HE the Premier said, adding that Qatar was one of the few countries that allocate part of its budget for scientific research.

"Scientific research is the clear way to build a Qatari scientific base that contributes to build our knowledge-based economy. We aspire to reflect that on the world, to make it a safer place," HE the Premier said.

HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister pointed to the challenges which faced the development process of education in the State of Qatar, whether general education or higher education, such as fulfilling the needs of a growing labor market with a small population base, and adherence to the international standards which enable the country to provide quality education to present and future generations.

He noted that the government and various academic institutions, mainly Qatar University, conducted numerous studies, through which the State of Qatar introduced to the latest conclusions reached by the developed world academically, and got inspired by the experiences of others. "We made creativity and innovation the cornerstones of our decisions, sometimes we succeeded dramatically, and sometimes we reconsidered some educational policies, and that is normal in any dynamic society that seeks to launch with full force into the future, without stopping at the interim challenges," HE the Prime Minister said.

"Among other challenges that must be taken into account is how to deal with our civilization and cultural heritage, which we consider to be the basis for our past, our present and our future. This heritage has always been an engine and a motivation for us. It defines the way parameters for us in a world that is fraught of ideas and social revolutions, at the same time, we have to be modern and in harmony with 21st century without abandoning our values and our constants," HE the Premier added.

Concluding, HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister expressed hope that the QS-MAPLE Conference would address the reality and prospects of higher education in the MENA region and would answer all queries and issues raised, saying that the future starts from education, which is considered a fundamental and major human rights.

HE the Minister of Developmental Panning and Statistics Dr. Saleh bin Mohamed Al Nabit delivered a speech in which he stressed that education in Qatar is a fundamental pillar of the progress of society.

The State sponsors and seeks to spread education he said adding as stipulated in Article 25 of the Permanent Constitution of Qatar, he added pointing that the march higher education in Qatar began more than four decades with the establishment of the first national college of education in the country.

In his speech, HE the Minister of Developmental Panning and Statistics reviewed the march of education in the State of Qatar and the efforts that have been made over the decades for the development of all levels of education in addition to importance attached to the training and capacity building of the Qatari youth and the promotion of development paths through human development.

His Excellency pointed to the wide-ranging reforms that have taken place in Qatar University to increase the administrative and academic performance efficiency at all levels, with a focus on institutional independence, decentralization in decision-making, and accountability, including the promotion and support of student achievement, as well as the university's pursuance for accreditation to its colleges and programs in line with international standards and best practices.

He said that Qatar National Vision 2030 is looking forward to the transition to a competitive diversified knowledge-based economy, in which the private sector participates greater. He added that an inherently diverse economy is more stable, more able to develop jobs and opportunities for future generations and less vulnerable to fluctuations in oil and gas prices.

He explained that the government has liberalized laws and regulations affecting the banking, customs and trade, as well as laws and regulations governing foreign direct investment and foreign ownership, "Our future success in building a diversified economy, depends on our ability to deal with the competitive global knowledge-based environment," he said.

HE the Minister of Developmental Panning and Statistics Dr. Saleh bin Mohamed Al Nabit talked about the extraordinarily rapid economic growth in the State of Qatar over the past decade saying that Qatar has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world and that it is enjoying the worlds highest per capita income. No doubt that the energy and industry sector is the engine of this growth, he said.

He pointed to the growing appetite of Qataris to get jobs outside the public sector, explaining that in the year 2013, 15 percent of females and 11 percent of male males became employees in the private sector, compared with 2 percent and 4 percent, respectively, a decade ago.

He noted that campaigns are being organizing to encourage young Qataris to change his perspective towards work in the private sector, and to encourage business owners to invest in national human capital.

He asserted the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics' commitment to continue supporting the efforts to refine the skills and capacity building through its progress towards achieving the goals and objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Speaking about the revolution of communication and information technology HE Dr. Al Nabit saw that this ongoing revolution opens the was for more innovation in the field of higher education and contributes to stimulating and improving the quality of education.

Concluding his speech, he reiterated the government's strong commitment to continue the great investment in education and training for all of its citizens, and to continue to implement policies and human development programs in line with international best practices, pointing that sustainable development can not be realized without providing appropriate higher education and research institutions which graduate sufficient number of skilled and educated people.

For his part, HE Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, who is the Secretary-General of the Supreme Education Council, spoke about the importance of focusing on the language used in education by higher education institutions. His Excellency noted that there was a trend currently for employers to favor institutions that are English-based more than institutions that use other languages.

As a result, His Excellency suggested an overhaul to the system of evaluating higher education. As an example, HE the Minister of Education said that the students to teachers ratio cannot be used as a sole measure of the quality of education. His Excellency added that the ranking of undergraduate education institutions is of paramount importance to Students, because they always look to join universities high up the ranking. HE the Minister then highlighted the emergence of Niche, a university ranking website made by students 12 years ago, as proof of the need to develop a new ranking system.

HE the Prime Minister reserved special praise for U-Multirank initiative backed by the European Union. The initiative focus on the academic programs and the quality of education offered rather than focusing only on aspects such as student to teacher ratio. His Excellency also stressed on the importance of scientific research in rating an academic institution.