Education Minister inaugurates Open House

HE Mr. Saad Bin Ibrahim Al-Mahmoud, Minister of Education and Higher Education and Secretary General of the Supreme Education Council today inaugurated the Annual Open House at the Four seasons Hotel today, June 14, 2010. The open house targets Qatari high school students in grades 10, 11 and 12 in all secondary schools who wish to learn more about application processes, scholarship programs and courses on offer in other universities in Qatar and abroad.

Also attending the inauguration were Mr. Ahmed Al Janahi, the acting director for Higher Education Institute, Ms. Sabah Al Haidoos, director the Education Institute, directors from the Advising & Career Development , Scholarship, Institutional Standards Office and Finance & Administration Offices and representatives from participating universities and the local media.

"This open house which the SEC organizes annually aims to guide high school students and introduce them to the scholarship programs and requirements for Hamad Bin Khalifa and Tamim Bin Hamad scholarships," said Al Mahmoud. "There are at least 6603 students taking the secondary school certificate exams this year and we expect some will get unconditional acceptance in some of the universities found on the Higher Education Institute list of 675 accredited universities and colleges from around the globe. Thus, we have to care for these students and guide them and provide them with correct information that helps in their decsion making process."

He then added, " education receives much support from our wise leadership. Therefore we organized this Open House to gather all stakeholders (students / universities representatives/ HEI officials ) in one place to provide advise and counseling and answer students enquiries. Therefore, I invite all students and parents to attend this open house and seize the opportunities and options that their country has given them in terms of scholarships and benefit especially as they approach a critical stage in their professional lives.

The two-day Open House allows direct interaction with admission officers from participating universities including Education City universities - Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas A & M University, VCU-Q , Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University -School of Foreign Service, NorthWastern University. Some British universities participating are Cardiff, King’s College, University College, London, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham and Southhampton.

Also participating are the Community College of Qatar, College of the North Atlantic, University of Calgary, and the Academic Bridge Program.

The cultural affairs representatives of the embassies of France, Britain, America and Australian consulate - Australian Education International will offer interactive presentations and lectures on admissions requirements, documentation, visa requirements, a film on career decision making among other valuable information.

Mr. Ahmed Al Janahi, the acting director for Higher Education Institute said, ” we live in a changing world where professions, specialization, job market needs and knowledge changes swiftly. In order to meet those changes, we are keen to guide students and inform them about the requirements for acceptance and fields of specializations in local and international universities through direct school visits, conducting group and individual counseling sessions in addition to this Open House today to show the students the unique opportunities offered by HEI in terms of scholarships. This guidance has clear impact not only on the individual level but it also affects the general sustainable development in the State of Qatar as it aligns students' the aspirations of with the needs of the job market.

The open day starts from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Brochures and guides are available for further information on how to apply to local and international universities.