DOHA: Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani said yesterday that Qatar is striving to build a modern, knowledge-based economy without abandoning its values and traditions.
Opening fifth Middle East and North Africa Professional Leaders in Education Conference and Exhibition (QS-MAPLE) at Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Prime Minister underlined the need to build a strong scientific and research base in 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,” said the Premier.
He said 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,” the Premier said.
“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,” 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 added.
The Minister of Development, Planning and Statistics H E Dr Saleh bin Mohamed Al Nabit said 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.
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.
The Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, who is also the Secretary-General of the Supreme Education Council, spoke about the importance of focusing on the language used in education by higher education institutions. He noted that there was a trend currently for employers to favor institutions that are English-based more than institutions that use other languages.
Al Hammadi suggested an overhaul to the system of evaluating higher education. As an example the students to teachers ratio cannot be used as a sole measure of the quality of education. Ranking of undergraduate education institutions is of paramount importance to students, because they always look to join universities high up the ranking.
The QS-MAPLE Conference and Exhibition drew over 300 participants including university leaders, higher education experts, and educators from over 20 countries around the world to advance discussions on the internationalization of higher education in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Themed “International Innovation and Co-operation in Higher Education”, the event was organised by Qatar University (QU) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Among the dignitaries were QU President Prof Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, Chair of QS-MAPLE International Academic Advisory Committee and Secretary to Council and Court & Director, Knowledge, Enterprise and Analysis at City University of Hong Kong Dr Kevin Downing, and QS Asia Quacquarelli Symonds CEO Ms Mandy Mok also spoke.
The Peninsula
