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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
WITH increased emphasis on English as a global language for communication it is vital for academic institutions to produce graduates who have high level of proficiency in English, said Qatar University (QU) President Dr Hassan Rashid al Derham.
Addressing the delegates at the 2nd Annual International Conference on Language Teaching in Doha on Wednesday, Dr Derham stressed that English proficiency is essential in producing professionals who can cope with the language challenges in various fields, including international business, commerce, industry, health and education.
He also highlighted the important role of universities and educational institutions in preparing a well-educated workforce.
"Today, employers have expectations from the higher education sector to prepare well-educated workforce with abilities to deal with constant challenges in the fast-changing world. Based on these expectations, universities and other educational institutions have the responsibility to shape up a generation of professionals who would meet the needs of future employers," he said.
Dr Derham cited the many initiatives of QU through its Foundation Program (QU-FP) to prepare their students such as offering courses for those majoring in Science and Engineering to develop their language proficiency to a level that will allow them to succeed in their academic programmes.
He said,"QU always strives to promote innovative education and research towards fulfilling its vision to be regionally recognised for distinctive excellence in education and research, as an institution of choice for students and scholars and a catalyst for the sustainable socio-economic development of Qatar."
"In this spirit, Qatar University annually hosts several international conferences to fulfil this vision. These efforts contributed to promoting the international recognition of Qatar University."
Emphasising QU's efforts to equip its students for global communication, QU-FP and Core Curriculum Director Dr Maha al Hendawi said,"As we celebrate this annual event, we are also celebrating QU-FP and its accomplishments in teaching English and serving the community."
"The QU is the largest higher education institution in Qatar and it has the largest of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the country with more than 130 faculty members who come from over 30 countries."
She added,"Since its establishment, the QU-FP has helped thousands of students to access higher education and get entry to their respective colleges and help others to possess the necessary skills to meet their own goals and ambitions and be effective leaders within the society."
"In Fall 2016, our faculty taught more than 6,500 students in around 400 sections of undergraduate courses and foundation level courses. The QU-FP English department was accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) which is recognised by the US Department of Education as a national accrediting agency for English language programmes and institutions."
The event, which will conclude on Thursday, brought together over 350 researchers, practitioners and scholars from Qatar, Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the UK to network and share their research and teaching experiences on a wide range of topics related to English language teaching and learning.
