Heir Apparent Highlights “Education for a New Era”

DOHA: The Heir Apparent H.H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is also chairman of the Supreme Education Council, called upon all citizens in Qatar to support the education reform initiative being launched in the country with the objective of reforming the present school system to make it compatible with international standards.

While opening the forum titled “Education for a New Era” at the Ritz-Carlton Doha at March15,2004, that also marked the official launch of the reform initiative, Sheikh Tamim said: “The first seeds of education reform were planted a few years ago with the developed school programme. Then, since May 2001, after analyzing the findings of the studies on our present school system, it was found that it suffers from centralization, limitation of reform mechanism and limited prospects for improvement. More importantly, the outputs of this system are inadequate for students and their families and do not meet the requirements of development in our country.”

“After thorough evaluation and careful planning by all parties concerned with education, an Emiri decree was issued in November 2002, establishing the Supreme Education Council and the bodies affiliated to it, hence putting the reform effort into motion,” he added.

The opening ceremony was attended by H H Sheikha Mouzah bint Nasser Al Missned, deputy chairperson of the Supreme Education Council, a host of dignitaries including ministers, the speaker of the advisory council, rectors of universities and education specialists. Sheikh Tamim said the multitude of social, economic and political reforms that Qatar has embarked on recently could be realised only by the simultaneous upgrading of the educational system.

“The reform that we seek, must be total and comprehensive involving all components of our educational system — students, human resources, curricula and buildings. Moreover, we want it to be continuous, and not to be subject to certain circumstances, and we want it to be qualitative, renewable and capable of adaptation with all variables and requirements,” Sheikh Tamim said.

Highlighting the vision of the Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in linking education and development, Sheikh Tamim said this linking “requires in the first place that the school must provide our children with the adequate skills that enable them to participate actively in the economic and social development. Skills such a critical thinking, communications, creativity, teamwork and problem-solving have become basic skills in modern education. Therefore, they should be considered as important as reading and writing.” Sheikh Tamim said

“The new reform initiative is based on four principles - autonomy, responsibility, variety and choice. Each of these represents a unique characteristic being introduced into the Qatar school system. In the short run, the impact of the education reform plan will be deeper and more comprehensive, as teaching in the ” independent schools” will be according to international standards.

“Our school graduates will be able to compete for admission in most prestigious universities and colleges, whether locally or abroad. In the long run, our citizens will achieve the highest standard of efficiency and motivation and will be equipped with the necessary skills and expertise for their success in their various jobs,” he said.

The success of the reform plan requires the contribution of every individual and family in the Qatari society, he added. “Today, I urge every one of you, citizens and leaders, to support this project which is the project of all of us, and commit ourselves, individuals and groups, to undertake this great task successfully. Once again I stress my deep conviction that through ‘education for a new era ‘ we will be able to establish an educational system that is not limited to learning only but will motivate our students to be innovative and creative to ensure a bright and prosperous future for our country, with God’s will,” Sheikh Tamim said.

Source: The Peninsula