Education for middle class priority: minister

Qatar reiterated the importance of education for the middle class in societies due to the class’ prominence for community and economic development, highlighting that its stability is a stability for the world.
Speaking at the 12th World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting of the New Champions, HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi said the middle class is facing severe neglect due to the consecutive conflicts and revolutions and wars around the world.
He reiterated that supporting the educational system directly impacts the needs of the middle class.
The minister highlighted that Qatar continuously works on giving the middle class full potential for outstanding education, through a number of procedures and measures such as providing free education in government schools, introducing educational voucher systems in private schools, promoting the school environment and the provided educational services, developing curricula that meet the aspirations of students and their families which contributes to achieving Qatar National
Vision 2030.
“The State also provides various facilities for the private sectors and the different communities residing in Qatar to open new schools, including granting them school buildings or lands to build schools.”
He highlighted the need to focus on the efforts to use information technology in educating the middle class, which enables it to ensure educational opportunities and meet its needs in digital skills for jobs.
The minister said Qatar’s pursuit to promote the role of technology is shown in providing educational programmes, launching specialised applications, setting comprehensive education systems, providing diverse interactive services to develop students’ skills, as well as launching an academic track of technology and a secondary school applying Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM).
He confirmed that university education reflects a basic requirements for the needs of the middle class and its aspirations, universities must direct research towards identifying the need and meet the challenges faced by this class of society.
The minister said it is necessary to examine the poor quality of educational outputs in higher education institutions in many countries, and the lack of adaptation to the needs of the
labour market.
He said Qatar has become a model to follow when higher education reformation projects are mentioned and Qatar University, biggest national university, is one of the best 500 universities around the world and Education City is home to many elite
universities.
The minister reviewed the efforts exerted by Qatar to achieve its goals on a global level, where the “Educate A Child” programme provided education for 10mn children out of school. “Qatar also spared no effort to improve educational environment in areas of armed conflict where Qatar Fund for Development is another example that highlights the State’s keenness to support Education in various countries around the world.”