Doha, Qatar: Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) Dr. Hareb Mohamed Aljabri affirmed that the new scholarship criteria represent a qualitative leap in the scholarship process, pointing out that one of the most prominent changes included in these criteria is the integration of elements of talent, inclinations, and personal abilities alongside academic achievement.
In an exclusive interview with the Qatar News Agency (QNA), Aljabri explained that Qatar pays great attention to sectors that rely primarily on talent, such as sports, arts, the creative economy, and museums, which necessitated the development of scholarship standards that take into account students’ capabilities and inclinations to achieve a balance between academic qualifications and talent development.
He pointed out that the scholarship plan launched in 2024 witnessed a comprehensive study of the reality of scholarships in previous years, which mainly focused on academic achievement and was limited to three tracks: engineering, medical and health sciences, and education.
He added that with the country witnessing rapid growth in various sectors, the need arose to reformulate the scholarship programme to include broader fields that meet the country’s current and future needs, creating new tracks, bringing the number to eight main tracks, in addition to a ninth track dedicated to people with disabilities, reflecting the programme’s inclusiveness for all groups.
Regarding talent identification mechanisms, he explained that there is direct coordination with relevant authorities in each field. For example, in the sports sector, there is cooperation with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), the Qatari Ministry of Sports and Youth, and sports federations, which nominate candidates according to specific criteria.
Regarding the role of these standards in bridging the gap between education outputs and labour market needs, the Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Affairs said that the ministry is working on continuous and direct coordination with various state entities in the public and private sectors, where the needs of these entities for different specialisations are received annually.
He added that this perception still exists among some segments of society, while the reality today is witnessing a great diversity of opportunities, especially in the fields of entrepreneurship, professional sports, the arts, and other fields that can constitute a promising future for students.
