HER EXCELLENCY SHEIKHA HIND SPEAKS AT THE EDUCATION WORLD FORUM IN LONDON

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Vice Chairperson and CEO of QF highlights need for global education ecosystems to be transformed through systematic innovation

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), has called for global education to make a “quantum leap” driven by innovation, as she addressed the Education World Forum in London, UK.

The Forum, which concludes on January 23, is the world’s largest gathering of education and skills ministers, with its 2019 theme being ‘What we should do with what we know: Developing education policy for implementation, impact, and exponential success.’ QF’s participation in this year’s edition of the Forum reflected how, in its mission to support the development of Qatar and its people, it has created a pioneering model of education that is constantly evolving and innovating.

By offering world-class education in a local context – with eight international partner universities standing alongside QF’s schools and its own research-focused university, Hamad Bin Khalifa University – and a diverse, experiential, and specialized learning experience, QF is nurturing lifelong learners equipped to make their mark on Qatar and the world, and be active global citizens.

In her speech to an international audience of education leaders at a keynote session titled ‘Lifelong learning and life-wide learning’, Her Excellency Sheikha Hind emphasized QF’s commitment to providing quality education, and the importance of innovation in shaping its unique education ecosystem, which began with the establishment of Qatar Academy Doha more than 20 years ago.

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind explained how this ecosystem has since been expanded and advanced through the development of Education City and QF’s own lifelong learning model, and is now focusing on identifying and deploying innovative approaches to addressing gaps and opportunities in Qatar’s society.

“We have never stopped looking to innovate in education. In Qatar, we’ve already seen what this makes possible,” Her Excellency Sheikha Hind said.

“But globally, education has not experienced a truly major transformation in my lifetime ­– a lifetime that has seen the cutting-edge of technology go from fax machines, to personal computers, to mobile and nanotechnology. Education, rather than remaining earthbound, has to make the sort of quantum leap that technology and communication have made many times in a single generation.”

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind was joined in speaking at the session by Esteban Moctezuma, Secretary of Public Education, Mexico; Prof. Dr. Alexander Lorz, Minister of Education, Ministry of Education, State of Hesse, Germany; and Commissioner J. Prospero E. De Vera III, Officer-in-Charge, Commission on Higher Education, Republic of the Philippines.

Innovation is at the heart of the ecosystem of education built by QF, which spans the full spectrum of learning from pre-school and K-12 education to undergraduate and postgraduate study. The academic template pioneered by QF’s Qatar Academy model ensures pre-university students receive an education that is both international-standard and grounded in the Arabic language and cultural identity. Meanwhile, QF’s investment in personalized, inclusive learning has seen it develop a number of specialized schools, designed to help every student achieve their full potential.

 

Through its ‘multiversity’ model – where multiple higher education institutions are integrated within a single location, Education City – QF gives its students the unique opportunity to cross-register for classes at different partner universities, extending and enhancing their learning experience. QF has also created a culture of multidimensional learning, as the proximity of its schools and universities to its hubs of research and innovation enables hands-on learning and access to expertise, equipping students for the workforce of the future and to make the greatest contribution to society.