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QNA
Doha
Innovation in education is at the heart of Qatar Foundation's work , Vice-Chairperson and CEO of the foundation HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al Thani has said.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency, Sheikha Hind said QF's future programmes will focus on the development of the educational environment to help students build self-confidence, develop critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as finding solutions to life and societal challenges.
She said the success of The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), one of the world's largest educational conferences launched in 2009, is one of the best efforts made by the QF towards innovation in education.
"WISE now occupies a prominent position as an international forum which seeks to build the future of education through innovation and creativity," she said.
WISE hosts some of the leading education experts, educators and policymakers in the world to promote education, she said, referring to the"Voice of the Learners" programme, a WISE initiative, which seeks to benefit from the views of youth to restructure the educational system, and prepare them to assume leadership roles in their fields of specialisation as well as in education.
She said QF contributes to the progress of Qatar through education, research and development, and community development."Our priority is to empower individuals and communities by investing in the future of Qatar and providing a better future for all."
She stressed QF's commitment to the concept of lifelong learning."We provide comprehensive educational programmes from nursery to higher education, giving students the necessary skills to thrive in a global environment," she said.
Sheikha Hind said QF is committed to enabling young people to address R&D challenges."We are witnessing impressive outcomes as a result of the efforts exerted by our students and graduates, which are helping to transform Qatar into an international centre for innovation and excellence," she said.
QF continues its journey to make a positive impact in Qatar and across the wider world by focusing on four areas of interest -- pre-university education, higher education, research and development, and community development.
Sheikha Hind said Education City is QF's flagship development and serves as a hub of academic excellence. It houses a range of educational facilities, from QF schools to partner universities, and homegrown institution Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).
"Through our partnership with international universities, we have brought top-ranking programmes and specialisations to Education City in priority areas relevant to our nation," she added.
She said that HBKU dedicates its efforts to providing innovative and high level educational programmes. HBKU is home to three national research institutes -- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), and Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute (QEERI).
These institutes focus on conducting research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing Qatar and the region, including water and energy security, cybersecurity and healthcare.
As with all of QF's endeavours, the emphasis is placed firmly on achieving tangible and relevant results, and each of these institutes has begun to excel in this respect.
For example, QCRI has produced the Jalees e-book platform, an application developed both in Arabic and English for smartphones.
'Jalees' has been successfully implemented in 40 schools in Qatar, and is used on over 40,000 devices, as part of the 'e-bag' initiative launched by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Meanwhile, researchers at QEERI have deciphered the code of a mineral which promises to make solar energy more economically viable.
Additionally, QBRI specialists have led a global research collaboration that seeks to unlock valuable new knowledge about traumatic brain injury (TBI). QBRI will collaborate with the Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Group at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, Netherlands on this vital project, she added.
The HBKU Board of Trustees has officially approved the strategic plan, policies and procedures set by the university for the next 10 years.
On Education City's graduates, she said QF celebrated its first convocation in 2008, and in 2016 the cohort of graduates included over 600 students who gained Master's and Bachelor degrees in fields crucial to meeting the future needs of Qatar.
Within all sectors, be it oil and gas, banking, engineering or media and communications, QF graduates are contributing to driving the development of our nation forward, she said, stressing that some of them are now heading leading institutions in Qatar.
"Many of our alumni have been accepted into elite graduate schools to continue their higher education and acquire more experience, before returning home to contribute to national development and give back to our society," she added.
Pre-university education is the beginning of a unique education cycle at Qatar Foundation, she said.
"This is where we establish the foundation for lifelong learning, providing for the individual needs of every learner, and delivering world-class learning experiences anchored in Qatari culture and values," she stressed.
QF schools are situated in different geographical areas and include eight academies, she said, noting that the newest addition is Renad Academy, which is dedicated to children who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
There is also Qatar Leadership Academy (QLA), an educational institution which combines academic training and military discipline.
"We believe that education is a lifelong learning experience. Hence, we encourage all individuals to learn constantly and develop personally and professionally, inside and outside of the classroom," she stressed.
On the efforts being exerted by QF in the field of research and innovation, Sheikha Hind said QF aims to support Qatar in building a competitive and diversified economy, focusing on national priorities as well as global issues, through innovation, entrepreneurship and by fostering knowledge-intensive sectors. In this regard, she explained that Research and Development sector at Education City provides an integrated cycle that starts with the research institutes established by QF, stressing that QF students are encouraged to conduct research through the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).
In the last stage of the cycle, Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) manages the commercialisation process, where ideas are converted into practical patented prototypes.
As part of encouraging QF students to pursue careers within R&D, in 2016, about 3,050 university students received support through the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP); 202 students were admitted to Qatar Research Leadership Program (QRLP), while 41 graduated; 26 researchers were accepted into Postdoctoral Research Award (PDRA); 17 students were admitted to PhD courses through the Graduate Student Research Awards (GSRA) programme.
She stressed QF's keenness to spread the culture of intellectual property rights within the organisation, among its local partners and the wider Qatari society. QF currently manages 389 patent declaration forms, 13 of which were licensed and utilised by the private sector. It has also filed around 300 patent applications in the regional and international patents bureau, 31 of these applications were approved and intellectual property rights were granted, she explained.
On international cooperation, Sheikha Hind said the foundation implements joint programmes with its global partners designed to drive outreach efforts forward, including various Memoranda of Understanding with QF Research and Development and 500 startups and the Korea Institute for Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning along with an agreement for future collaboration has been signed with the European Organization for Nuclear Research 'CERN'.
On realising QF's vision and goals, Sheikha Hind said community development programmes are central to everything done at QF.
"One of our most important community-based initiatives is Al Shaqab, which strives to promote Qatari heritage by providing a rich equestrian experience for young people, and to instil a love of horses. Al Shaqab has hosted numerous international championships, and its equestrians have won many international competitions," she added.
Sheikha Hind referred to Qatar National Library (QNL) as a national centre for digitisation and the preservation of Qatari heritage through the use of modern technology.
As evidence of its success in this area, it is the first library in the Middle East to use inter-data technology, she said.
She also stressed the central role being played by the Education City Mosque in hosting religious presentations delivered by an elite group of Islamic scholars to enhance religious awareness and uphold Islamic culture.
In the field of healthcare and education, Sheikha Hind said Qatar Diabetes Association has organised international camps for children and youth affected by diabetes.
She said QF also seeks to develop a culture of sustainability, noting that Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) has organised numerous awareness campaigns in Qatar to conserve energy, water and to encourage the use of renewable energies.
The smart solar energy grid at QF produces almost 85 percent of all such energy produced in Qatar, she said.
She said QF is committed to playing a major role in preserving and enhancing the Arabic language at local, regional and international levels."We have launched a number of successful Arabic initiatives, of which the 3D cartoon Siraj is the latest, and aims to instill a love of our language in children from an early age," she said.
"'Earlier this year, we also launched the National Reading Campaign, in cooperation with various organisations in Qatar, to foster a love of reading among children and their parents, and to encourage the adoption of lifelong learning. This initiative is joined by others, like the World Organization for Renaissance of Arabic Language (WORAL), which aims to strengthen the status of Arabic at a global level. Meanwhile, QF International (QFI) strives to train teachers and promote the Arabic language and culture to non-Arabic students around the world," she added.
On QF's role in empowering young Qataris, she said,"We exert every possible effort to establish an education and research environment that will inspire and encourage youth to innovate as young scientists and entrepreneurs, and to come up with new ideas to advance."
QF has launched several initiatives, which aim to empower Qatar's youth, such as the Stars of Science TV programme that allows young talented innovators from across the Arab World to exhibit their innovations and find solutions to the scientific challenges facing the region.
The programme's participants have succeeded in establishing 21 enterprises. Seven Qataris have participated in the eight seasons of the programme, four of whom reached the finals, while two have won.
Another example is Qatar Debate (QD) which has organised several national debating championships among local schools, in Arabic and English, involving over 3,500 students, she added.
She said World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is one of the best examples of multi-disciplinary cooperation among the international healthcare community.
One of WISH's achievements is the launch of an experimental project concerned with diabetes at Al Wakra Health Center, in cooperation with the Primary Healthcare Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation, she said, adding that so far this project has tested more than 3,000 people for diabetes and the 'Smart Clinic' aims to provide personalised healthcare to every patient.
Sheikha Hind pointed out that WISH's contributions are not only confined to local achievements, but also impacts on the international level. A good example would be how WISH has helped Apollo Hospitals in building a strategy to enhance patient safety in India, thereby advancing medical knowledge in the second most populous country in the world, she explained.
On QF's future plans, Sheikha Hind said,"We will continue to interact with young men and women, to inspire them, and invest in their potential, to build a better future for all. And, we will continue to work to keep pace with the changes and seek to serve our community through innovation in education and research."
