Qatar has put the education and scientific research at the centre of its human development goals and endeavours to make the country a knowledge economy. The education sector is key to meeting the development goals of Qatar. The country’s constitution enshrines education as one of the main pillars of social progress and Qatar National Vision 2030 aims to build the capacities of Qatari citizens by establishing world-class education system that offers exceptional opportunities for quality education and training. Over the decades, the country has prioritised investment in the education sector.
One of the distinguished state initiatives in this regard is the annual Education Excellence Day Awards. For the past decade and a half, the country’s leadership has been recognising and honouring some of the country’s best students, researchers and teachers at these annual awards.
The 2022 awards took place yesterday, where Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani honoured the winners. Addressing the winners, the Amir urged them to pursue excellence in science and academics.
This year’s award ceremony was aptly themed ‘with excellence we build generations’. The winners this year included 72 people and entities, ranging from preparatory school students to PhD researchers, as well as the outstanding teachers and institutions. About 800 winners have been awarded over the past 15 years.
The country’s strategy to focus on education sector is paying dividends as a new generation of Qataris are taking up leading positions and driving innovation across industries, contributing to the country’s growth. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in conjunction with other state institutions, is also implementing the Education and Training Sector Strategy 2018-22.
Qatar’s National Vision 2030 outlines the country’s long-term social and economic goals and identifies education as critical in reaching these targets. The government has invested in reforming the sector, developing a number of new initiatives and institutions of higher education and research. Qatar University and Qatar Foundation’s Education City, which houses branch campuses of a number of international universities, are leading the higher education sector with cutting-edge research.
As Minister for Education and Higher Education H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi noted, the Education Excellence Day Award has become a national project, sponsored and supported by the state, not only because it reflects the country’s investment in the Qatari person, but because it is one of the effective means of building the national scientific capabilities, which will enhance the human and knowledge capital to build the aspired knowledge society.
