Qatar rising to educational challenge

Saif Ali Al Hajari, Vice-Chairman, Qatar Foundation, said in an exclusive interview in the forthcoming The Report: Qatar 2008, the latest of the annual business publications from Oxford Business Group (OBG), the highly acclaimed global publishing, research and consultancy firm.

"The call to raise the standards of education for Qatar has seen its greatest challenge in incorporating the complete cycle of education in the country for all age levels and ensuring a fully integrated educational system that allows for a smooth transition into society," he said.

"It is important to continue forward with our vision and to work closely with those institutions that we have on our doorstep in order to ensure continued progress towards meeting the challenges faced in building a knowledge-based economy."

He said it was important for Qatar to keep an open view of what the market really needs, to encourage the entrepreneurial efforts of society, and stressed the importance of the partnership with Qatar Science and Technology Park, an integral part of the higher education system.

"It is important for us to continue to focus on attracting more global partners to continually build up our educational infrastructure," said Al Hajari, whose organisation is dedicated to achieving Qatar's potential through a network of centres devoted to progressive education, research and community welfare.

"We are constantly looking around the world for those institutions that are at the top of their fields to ensure that we bring the cream of the crop to the country."

He said the Qatar Foundation was planning to add institutions specialising in business, law and aviation, with the programmes developed aimed at building on existing undergraduate programmes.

"We see Qatar as being the model for building higher education in the Gulf Cooperation Council and, in fact, the world," he said.

The interview with Al Hajari, will be carried in full in The Report, is one of a series of exclusive interviews with key officials and business leaders.

Rated as the premier guide for foreign direct investment into the country's vibrant economy, The Report is an invaluable guide to the many facets of Qatar, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, political landscape, banking and sectoral developments, and presents a remarkably in depth profile of the country.

OBG is working in collaboration with local partners to compile the research: Qatar National Bank for capital markets and Clyde and Co for legal affairs.

The 200-page publication, with an international distribution of 71,000, is being produced by a team of six OBG analysts based in Doha for six months, who conducted some two hundred interviews with leading political and economic figures. 26% of its subscribers are in energy, 24% in financial institutions, 23% in real estate and construction, 14% in industry, and 10% in IT and telecommunications. 25% of them are in Europe, 21% in GCC and the Middle East, 20% in North America, 15% in Asia, and 13% in North Africa.
Available in print form and online, The Report: Qatar 2008 is part of the range of OBG's publications, which are renowned as leading sources of information on developing and emerging economies around the world.