qatar foundation magazine
Post on 19-Oct-2014
3.297 views
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
The monThly magazine of qaTar foundaTion issue 25 january 2011
www.qf.org.qa
A society of solidarityRecord amount raised at Social Development Center’s Gala Dinner will help support humanitarian services
Special report
Contents
Editorial CommuniCation DireCtorate Rima Ismail [email protected] +974 4454 0960 Dima El-Mched [email protected] +974 4454 0958 Publisher Brian Scudder [email protected] +971 50 655 7490 eDitor Philip Fenton [email protected] +971 50 553 9430 dEsign Creative DireCtor Carl Bergman [email protected] +971 50 342 6926 Designer Mohammad Marei [email protected] +971 50 895 9836©2010 Qatar Foundation. All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced without the written permission of Qatar Foundation and the Publisher.
NewSRaising the bar on math teaching; Qatar Foundation in the news; Student ambition takes to the sky; Professor wins prestigious Chair; Discussions on minority rights; International recognition for QDA; Addressing the demands of literacy.
2011 CAleNDAR
CelebRAtiNG iNNovAtioN iN eDuCAtioNThe six outstanding projects honoured for their contribution to changing the education system.
SDC AuCtioN ReveAlS “foRmiDAble SoCiAl CoNSCieNCe”Record sum raised at gala dinner will help organization’s work in Qatar.
ReCoRD DoNAtioN helpS RotA ReACh outLargest-ever donation enables a number of exciting new projects.
oRCheStRA moveS to New homeHow Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s permanent venue will bolster its community work.
~ Forward Thinkers SeriesDeStiNAtioN of ChoiCeAbdul Aziz Al Emadi, CEO of Dohaland Hospitality, on his efforts to attract more Qataris to the nation’s hotel sector.
03
12
iSSue #25 jANuARy 2011
“While building five-star hotels, you have to make sure that you are adding to the market. It’s not
just about adding more five-star hotels so that we can say we own one too. No.We have to evaluate
what we are adding to the country.”
Abdul Aziz Al EmAdiCEO Of dOhAlAnd hOspitAlity
builDiNG bRiDGeSQatari students thrive at top universities thanks to the Academic Bridge Program
30
08
07
AN iSlAmiC peRSpeCtive oN bioethiCSStudents compile Islamic thought on bioethics in a single resource
QAtAR RevelS iN itS GloRiouS pAStAn entire week of cultural events helps young people understand their heritage.
the motheR who GAve biRth to A NAtioNAlgerian author Ahlam Mosteghanemi praises Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
18
2022
24
28
14
2 Thefoundation.
What a success! An unprecedented 28m QAR was raised for the Tarahom Endowment Fund at the Social Development Center’s 7th Gala Dinner. The glittering event saw His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser join previous donors for a group photograph in appreciation for their sense of responsibility in contributing to the community.
The Tarahom Endowment Fund offers support to people in the community including widows, people in debt, the elderly and orphans as well as outstanding academic students.
But it is just one of the SDC’s multiple funding outreach programs. Other projects, including the Rasamil fund for entrepreneurship and the Al Berr Compound Endowment, give Qatari families the confidence and financial security to control their own destinies.
The charity auction exceeded all expectations with many of the items being auctioned more than once to raise even more money. The evening provided a unique opportunity for people to contribute to the community and has subsequently raised the bar for all future fundraising events.
We felt a great spirit of togetherness at the event and the solidarity shown by those who attended will serve as an inspiration to others. What we have achieved in one memorable evening will provide years of sustained, continuous help and support in our society.
Haya Khalifa Al NassrDirector of Communication Qatar Foundation
Exceeding expectations
welCome letteR
Qf biomeDiCAl iNitiAtive pReSeNteD At QAtAR heAlth Dr Abdelali Haoudi,
Qatar Foundation’s Vice President
for Research, gave a presentation on Qatar Biomedical Research Institute
(QBRI) at Qatar Health
on 15 December, 2010.
Qatar Health, an international healthcare
congress and exhibition, is a premier healthcare event organized by Hamad Medical Corporation.
He explained that the recently launched QBRI is addressing key challenges facing the State of Qatar by conducting basic, translational and clinical research. The institute aims to have global impact.
mAthAf: ARAb muSeum of moDeRN ARt opeNSHis Highness the Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser attended the inaugural ceremony of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, on 14 December. The museum opened to the public on 30 December.
Located in a former school building in Education City, the museum has a collection that represents the major trends and sites of production of modern Arab art spanning the 1840s to the present.
Three exhibitions are currently on view at two sites in Doha. Mathaf opened its new building with Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art, which rethinks the position of Arab artists toward modernism and within the modernist movement. Two other exhibitions, Interventions and Told / Untold / Retold, can be seen at a new exhibition space located on the grounds of the Museum of Islamic Art.
NewS
In brief
3www.qf.org.qa
in the news~ Qatar Foundation stories in the international press.“Forget the football World Cup which Qatar will be hosting in 2022; the emirate is setting itself up to make even greater achievements in the fields of research and education,” writes Nabila Ramdani in Abu Dhabi’s The National. “At the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, I was astounded by what was promised for the future.
“Representatives from more than 100 countries discussed ideas and innovations, with the host nation setting the benchmark with its centres of excellence. While the world’s eyes were focused on the beautiful game, it seemed clear to me that Qataris were actually far more interested in the advancement of science and the arts, which dominates every section of society and is integral to the country’s vision for the future.
“Qatar is also leading the way in terms of empowering women, with female students making up almost 75 per cent of Qatar University’s student population. A driving force in this development is Sheikha Moza, the wife of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.”
teachers from across Doha were invited to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the teaching of mathematics at an outreach event organised by Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ).
Dr Dale Winter, Associate Teaching Professor of Mathematics and Director of The Academic Resource Center at CMUQ, said: “I firmly believe that this kind of partnership – between the Supreme Education Council, teachers in local schools and CMUQ – represents a unique opportunity to examine the issues involved in teaching and learning
mathematics in Qatar at both the school and university level.”
Dr Winter said that through bringing different types of experience, points of view and skills together in the same room he hoped the teaching of mathematics would get even better.
He added: “We aim to work together to identify and address the mathematical teaching and learning issues of today in order to prepare more of our current generation of students for the most desirable, challenging and lucrative jobs which will require a high level of mathematical training and sophistication.”
“A unique opportunity” for math teaching~ CMUQ local partnership examines the challenges of teaching mathematics in Qatar.
4 Thefoundation.
the future of unmanned flight was discussed with students at an interactive presentation at Qatar Leadership Academy (QLA).
The lecture and workshops were taken by Tom Hallett, an expert in unmanned vehicles at BAE Systems. Hallett explained the different types of flight mission and how they require different aircraft capabilities. He then challenged them to design an aircraft fit for the job.
Because leadership is a central tenet of QLA, Hallett also spoke about how important it was when it came to designing unmanned aircraft: from the beginning of the creative process, through to the design, manufacture and finally testing of the aircraft.
The presentation was the second in a series of exciting lectures by BAE systems for QLA students; the first talk was given by former UK Royal Air Force pilot Craig Penrice, who spoke about fighter planes.
George K D Hopkins, Head of Student
Affairs at Qatar Leadership Academy, said the partnership with BAE Systems was inspiring and demonstrated to students that the lessons they learn at QLA can be applied in the real world.
“It wasn’t just a lecture, it was held in a fun and relaxed setting and it gave the students hands-on experience of applied technology,” he said. “I was in the auditorium and every single student was engaged, it was quite something. It was honestly a home run to use an American expression. BAE did a fabulous job and it was great for us; it helped us to evaluate the boys and see who was stepping up to lead the groups and present the designs.
“BAE are looking to come back in the spring and we will be very, very happy to welcome them.”
Hallett’s lecture also told students what methods BAE Systems employed to design and engineer unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs), highlighting how the company built one unmanned aircraft, Mantis, in just 19 months. He then spoke about the future of UAVs and focussed on Taranis – an unmanned stealth jet – that was unveiled in July. QAL cadets were also shown a short film of BAE Systems’ prototype aircraft, Demon.
Martin Bennett, Regional Vice President for the Middle East at BAE Systems, said: “BAE Systems occupies a leading position in the defense industry and is renowned for its engineering excellence and innovation. We work with universities in the UK and US to produce world-leading technology for a wide range of systems across the air, land and sea domains and are delighted to be able to showcase some of this innovation in Qatar, which we hope will encourage tomorrow’s generation of Qatari scientists and engineers to develop similar ground-breaking technologies for the future.”
~ Qatar Leadership Academy challenged to design an aircraft by guest lecturer.
Student ambition takes to the sky
NewS
www.qf.org.qa 5
Carnegie mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ) has announced the presentation of a prestigious professorship.
Jonathan P Caulkins, PhD, has been awarded the H Guyford Stever Professorship of Operations Research and Public Policy at the H John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management and CMUQ.
The distinguished chair was established in honor of H Guyford Stever, who was the first President of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and served as chief science adviser to two US Presidents.
On top of that, Professor Caulkins has also recently been appointed as a Fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS). The appointment is a way of honoring outstanding lifetime achievers in operations research and the management sciences who make significant contributions to advancement in these fields.
This semester at CMUQ, Caulkins is teaching Probability Theory and Random Processes, Probability and Statistics for Business Applications, Mathematical Models for Consulting.
Caulkins said he was happy and very flattered to have been chosen for the Stever chair and that although he has had a productive career over the last 20 years at CMU, so have many of his colleagues who could also have been chosen.
“It doesn’t really affect my role at CMUQ
or CMU in Pittsburgh, and there are no extra responsibilities,” he said. “It is a chair like a typical endowed chair. It comes with some extra research funds, so I’m certainly supposed to use those well. But it doesn’t change the day-to-day life of teaching and research.”
He likened the Stever professorship to a management promotion in an engineering company which allows him to continue doing what he is best at.
He explained: “The basic challenge is, how do you get your really good technical folks to stay in their engineering or technical roles if all promotions take you up into management where you no longer have time to practice that unique skill? Much better to have star engineers doing engineering and maybe project leadership than to be paper pushing middle managers.
“It’s the same idea here. CMU wants us to have the opportunity for recognition even if we stay a teacher or a researcher or a professor, without getting sucked into the drudgery of bureaucracy and administration. So they have endowed chairs and, the level beyond that, university professorships.”
prestigious new professorship for CmuQ faculty~ Professor says chair is a way to recognize distinction without getting in the way of research or teaching.
A workshop organized by Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) examined the ways in which communities around the world dealt with issues of multiculturalism, citizenship and minority rights.
The workshop featured scholars from around the world, including Dr Tariq Ramadan who is a Visiting Professor at Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies and first incumbent of the His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Professorship in Contemporary Islamic Studies chair at Oxford University.
Dr Basma Abdul Ghafar, of The Centre for Governance and Public Policy at QFIS, said the idea was to examine the ways in which governments throughout the world dealt with the issues surrounding minority groups in individual countries.
Europe, North America and the Far East were all discussed, as was the Arab World. “The idea was not to come to conclusions but begin talking about the issues and that is very new to
the Arab World – talking about multiculturalism and minority rights,” she said.
Western societies were traditionally more open about multiculturalism and enfranchising minorities as full citizens, Ghafar added, with the exception of recent events in Europe like the banning of the niqab in France and the Swiss government refusing to allow minarets to be built on new mosques.
Of course, the Arab world faces challenges of minorities as well, but there are also
countries which have embraced integration.From the point of Qatar, Ghafar said local
people were very proud of their heritage and traditions and wanted to keep an Islamic and Arabic identity. But there is also great pride that Qatar is open to other nationalities and is a multicultural society.
“Definitely both our position and the government’s position is one of integration with the global knowledge economy and society,” she said.
“This is the first part of the process. We’re hoping it will be an annual workshop or event. This was the first exploration of this issue and we hope to revisit the same in a year and see what differences there are.
“Our immediate aim is to start the dialogue and to begin opening up issues very gently to contribute to the policy debates that are happening all over the world concerning Muslims overseas. The idea was not to come to conclusions but to begin talking about these issues.”
~ Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies workshop deals with the pressing issues of integration around the globe.
Scholars discuss multiculturalism and minority rights
“thE idEA wAs nOt tO COmE tO
COnClusiOns but bEgin tAlking AbOut thE issuEs And thAt is vEry nEw tO thE ArAb wOrld – tAlking AbOut multiCulturAlism And minOrity rights.
6 Thefoundation.
the international Federation for Diabetes has chosen Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) as the hub which will represent the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for campaigns, conferences and research initiatives.
The IDF is an umbrella organization of 200 national diabetes associations in 160 countries. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk.
“The plan will enable International Federation for Diabetes and MENA member associations to develop National Diabetes Programs designed to prioritize diabetes within national healthcare frameworks, through improved access to treatment, as well as ways to improve care and treatment,” said a
joint statement from QDA and the IDF.“The IDF has recognized that we will be
the center for activities relating to diabetes within the region,” said Dr Abdulla Al Hamaq, Executive Director of QDA. “As part of our efforts and as the seventh global hub, we will organize events and workshops for all nationalities. In particular, we will target obese people through education.”
Looking ahead, QDA will participate in the first American Association for Clinical Endocrinologists to be held outside the US, in collaboration with the Hamad Medical Corporation. Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the conference aims to provide healthcare professionals with information about diabetes, obesity and other endocrine diseases.
A team of international and local speakers will deliver lectures, conduct workshops and hold a satellite symposium. An exhibition area, meanwhile, at the Sheraton Doha, will provide professionals with news from the pharmaceutical industry.
“The QDA was founded in 1995 and joined Qatar Foundation in 1999. That gave us the big push from Her Highness and we have been able to increase activities and programs to eventually be recognized by the IDF,” Al Hamaq said.
In the MENA region there are almost 27 million people suffering from diabetes. A recent forum in Dubai, attended by former US president Bill Clinton, estimated that this number is expected to almost double to 51.7 million people by 2030.For further information, visit www.qda.org.qa
Qatar Diabetes Association gets international recognition~ International Federation for Diabetes chooses QDA as hub for Middle East and North Africa.
teachers at Qatar Academy received training on how to address the literacy demands of their specialist subjects.
The course was organised by training and development consultants Stephen Graham and James Ferguson from Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd.
As well as addressing literacy, it was designed to improve links between the Primary School and Senior School so that work done during the early education of
students’ lives can be built upon in their senior years.
“The learning that has happened in the primary level should be recognized and built on in the secondary school specifically in the area of literacy,” said Graham.
Kay Mitchell, an Academic Support Counselor at the Senior School, said that as well as delivering their specific subject, school staff also have to teach literacy within that subject. However, she said that teachers were not always sure how they should teach the language needed for their subject area.
She added: “By making that more accessible to teachers they just feel now more empowered to teach language in their subject area.”
Graham said: “The response of the school has been incredibly positive and the teachers, I think, are now looking and thinking at what the actual literacy demands are of the work they’re asking the children to do.”
Addressing literacy demands~ Qatar Academy teachers receive training to enable them to operate them more effectively.
NewS
www.qf.org.qa 7
CAleNDAR
January 2011....................................................
What Qatar Music Academy launchWhere Qatar Music AcademyWhen 30 JanuaryQatar Music Academy will launch its preparatory program, which will offer eight to ten year olds a series of one-to-one music lessons. Scheduled after school hours, children will discover a variety of Arabic and Western instruments. World-class teachers and musicians will transform young talents into a new generation of maestros.
february 2011....................................................
What Professor Jean-Marie Lehn LectureWhere Texas A&M University at QatarWhen 6 FebruaryProfessor Jean-Marie Lehn, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1987, will present the conceptual considerations on science in general and on chemistry in
particular. Lehn, a French chemist, received the Nobel Prize together with Donald Cram and Charles Pedersen in 1987 for his work in chemistry, particularly his synthesis of the cryptands.For more information please visit www.qf-research-division.org/distinguished
What Lecture: ‘You Made it, You Take it Back’, by Dr Andrew Dent Where Atrium at VCUQatarWhen Wed, 9 February 6pm
In this lecture, Dr Dent looks at the dwindling of critical resources that manufacturers and builders will need to take into account as they design, manufacture and build in the coming years. This new paradigm for material sourcing may become the norm in the next generation of design thinking across all disciplines. Dr Dent is Vice President for Research at Material ConneXion, leading consulting teams that help companies around the world in
projects ranging in size from a shoe to a stadium.
What The Challenges of Teaching Arabic in the 21st CenturyWhere Lecture Hall 1202, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar When Wed, 9 and Thurs, 10 FebruaryThis conference, an open forum for research, will explore the many and varied challenges that teachers of Arabic as first or second language face.
CAleNDAR 2011
professor Jean-marie lehn
~ QF Radio has unveiled its new program line-up with a wide variety of daily and weekly shows. Highlights include:
DAiLy shows.....................................................
06:00 The Connection Developing a connection between people’s work, interests, and everything that impacts our daily lives at Qatar Foundation 07:00 QF News Everything about QF07:30 E-Vision Interesting stories about ‘Education, the academe, student life,’ and a lot more, straight from the students, professors and more08:30 “Alamouhm”09:00 international News All the latest news from around the world presented in Arabic
09:11 Nothing is impossible Fitness and Health, your on-line personal trainer 10:00 The Connection Developing a connection between people’s work, interests, and everything that impacts our daily lives at Qatar Foundation 10:30 Far Corners11:00 sports Global (live) Sports news from within Qatar and the rest of the world 11:22 Dhor call to prayer12:11 science Alive Science matters and more 13:00 E-Vision13:25 Qatar symphony The best musical pieces
performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra 14:23 Asr call to prayer14:28 Taking you FurtherA human rights program, an in-depth look at important issues facing all of us today15:23 science Alive15:54 Piano16:00 sports Global16:23 Maghreb call to prayer16:50 Qatar symphony17:00 international News17:12 Research Matters17:41 yohemlay song Produced By Qatar Foundation 18:00 The Connection18:14 Al isha call to prayer
18:30 Design Edition19:00 Campus Buzz19:30 Cover to Cover Lively discussion about literature and award winning/ best selling English and Arabic titles, literary events and what’s happening in publishing in Qatar20:32 Nothing is impossible Fitness and Health, your on-line personal trainer 21:00 sports Global23:00 international News00:00 QF News01:00 E-Vision03:07 Nothing is impossible04:20 science Alive
Aiming to build the future of education, the second World Innovation Summit for Education
(WISE) encouraged 1,200 leading thinkers to explore innovative ideas and discuss how education systems can be improved.
But while the knowledge exchange will undoubtedly spur solutions to critical problems, this alone is not enough to help the cause of education. It is equally important to support existing initiatives that could change the futures of millions around the globe.
In recognition of such cutting-edge ideas, six innovative Laureates and their projects were honored by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, at the WISE Awards gala dinner on 8 December, 2010.
They had been selected by a high-profile international jury, chaired by His Excellency Sheikh Dr Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Chairman of WISE and Qatar Foundation’s Vice-President of Education. Each winner received a Prize Award of $20,000 to help further their projects.
Chosen from more than 400 applications received from 89 countries, the outstanding Laureates’ projects have had a significant impact on societies, ranging from remote villages in Africa to families around the globe.
And while they operate in different parts
of the world, all six initiatives have one common goal: to bring knowledge to people traditionally removed from the education system. Each winner gave more insight into the ways they are achieving this, showcasing their projects in the course of the summit.
Tove Romsaas Wang, CEO of Save the Children Norway, an organization helping children in need around the world, is leading a major global campaign to get three million children in conflict-affected and fragile states into school. Within a period of four years, the organization’s program work has succeeded in getting 1.4 million children into the education system.
“It’s likely that 50 million children are staying out of school. As much as 67% lives in conflict-affected areas. That’s why it’s so important to put this issue on the global agenda,” she said.
“[Receiving the WISE award] will act as an encouragement to Save the Children, and to all those working for education for all, to redouble their efforts to ensure that no children, no matter what their circumstances, are ever regarded as too difficult to reach.”
mushtaq Chapra, Chairman and a Founding Director of The Citizens
Foundation, a non-profit educational organization, said he faces another challenge
Six outstanding Laureates were honored for bringing education to people traditionally removed from the education system during a World Innovation Summit for Education Awards dinner.
wiSe AwARDS
Celebrating Innovation in Education
8 Thefoundation.
in child education: getting girls into schools. So far, the organization has built 660 schools, educating 92,000 students from Kindergarten to Grade 10. More than 50% of them are girls.
But that is not enough, Chapra explained, saying that the foundation aims to build 1,000 schools in Pakistan. Hoping to reach communities that are in need, TCF is creating a franchise model that is replicable for other like-minded groups to follow.
“We work in some of the most challenging of locations – in and around Karachi and in rural areas across Pakistan. Our intent is to take children of the streets and into schools,” he said.
Similarly helping to educate a large number of people is Cecilia d’Oliveira, Executive Director of MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who leads a project which uses the internet to educate people. OCW, a web-based publication, provides free and open access to materials from virtually all MIT courses, including video recordings of lectures and dozens of textbooks.
Quoting MIT’s President Susan Hockfield, d’Oliveira said: “OCW expresses MIT’s goal of advancing education to a global community where ideas and knowledge are shared openly and freely for the benefit of all. By sharing materials on the web, our faculty can have
www.qf.org.qa 9
williAmS f1 teChNoloGy CeNtRe
9www.qf.org.qa
wiSe AwARDS
much greater impact in terms of global education.”
Ayla Goksel, CEO of ACEV, a Turkish NGO working in early childhood, female literacy and parent training, focuses on another aspect of education that will have an impact on people around the world.
She launched a program that proved to provide long-lasting benefits to mothers and children. The Mother Child Education Program (MOCEP), a nationwide project with the Turkish Ministry of National Education, helps mothers educate their children, aided by community resources such as the ministry’s teachers and facilities.
Currently reaching over 400,000 people in Europe and the Middle East, Goksel
said receiving the WISE Award will help expand its presence. “This acknowledgment of the success of MOCEP as an innovative and inclusive project will significantly enhance the process of ACEV sharing its expertise and know-how throughout the Middle East in particular and other regions of the world in general,” she said.
An equally challenging project is that founded by Professor Neil Turok, Founder and Council Chair of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Next Einstein Initiative. He explained the institute is training talented students from across Africa in a partnership arrangement between Cape Town’s three local universities and the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Paris XI.
Recruiting and training talented African students and teachers, the program is building capacity for African initiatives in education, research, and technology, said Dr Turok. “If you look at Africa, the danger is in saying all Africans need is to learn how to use computers
so they get trained for employment,” he explained.
“However, [students at Next Einstein Initiative] will be designing solutions instead of just implementing things from abroad. It is clear that the future will be knowledge driven.
10 Thefoundation.
the problem of funding education in the wake of the global economic downturn was discussed at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Qatar.
Now in its second year, Qatar Foundation’s WISE summit was addressed by Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO. This year was UNESCO’s first time as an official partner of WISE.
Bokova told the summit that, in terms of funding, allowing the status quo to continue was not an option. “Business as usual is not working,” she said. “Aid disbursements to basic education have stopped increasing for the first time since 2000 – stagnating at $4.7 billion in 2008. Education is the way to invest out of the economic crisis. We must explore tangible proposals for innovative financing as
uNeSCo Director-General speaks out at wiSeNew WISE partner UNESCO stresses need for financing.
If Africa is going to catch up with the rest of the world, it needs its own scientists and technologists.”
Another project in Africa, this time in Nigeria, is geared towards a niche audience. The Smallholders Farmers Rural Radio, a
www.qf.org.qa 11
At the closing session of the summit, HE Sheikh Dr Al-Thani announced several decisions that will be enacted in the course of 2011.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WISE PRIzEThe annual WISE Prize for Education will be the world’s first major international prize for education. Selected by a jury of five distinguished personalities, the winner will receive an award of $500,000. Nominations for the first WISE Prize for Education will be invited from 1 February to 30 April 2011.
For more information please visit www.wiseprizeforeducation.org
CALL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TASKFORCE DEDICATED TO EDUCATION SySTEM REBUILDING IN HAITIWISE called for the creation of a taskforce that can help rebuild Haiti’s educational system. The taskforce will report back with a concrete action plan for education in Haiti.
THE LAUNCH OF A WISE PUBLICATION AND WEB PORTALWISE will create a publication that will record major achievements and initiatives in the world of international education, including those at WISE. This key point of reference will be complemented by an enhanced WISE website.
wiSe announcements
decisions we take now will lay the foundations for the century ahead.”
Delegates at the conference were told that there were three essential criteria for the future funding of education: the ring-fencing of education budgets by individual governments along with new investment; the need for teachers and education professionals to demonstrate that education would provide the means to stimulate the economy through greater employment and hence more wealth; and that new approaches should be considered to pay for education in the future.
On the latter point, Bokova highlighted a report from the Leading Group on Innovative Financing for Development’s Task Force on Education. That pointed out that a tax of just 0.005% each year on international financial transactions could raise $30 billion annually.
The previous day Qian Tang, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, had spoken about how education could be improved, particularly in developing countries.
“Traditional approaches have only chipped away at the educational challenges faced by countries,” he said. “We know that simply building schools, training teachers or distributing books does not guarantee that any learning will take place.
“While such projects may change the lives
of small groups of individuals, they have not fed into wider policy reform and resulted in renewal of the system as a whole. Their impact has been short-term.
“In many cases, they have failed to bring about even minor improvements.”
Tang said that for major improvements to take place there should be “greater recognition of educational planning and management as a specific professional field”.
He said there should be clearer goals with a shared vision and greater accountability and that for reform to take place there needs to be a strong leadership.
Finally he told delegates that, with particular reference to ‘fragile states’, there needs to be external help from international agencies.
Praising the event, Tang said: “I would like to thank the Qatar Foundation, and in particular Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, for having organized such a stimulating programme and for enabling us to be here today.
“In only its second year, the World Innovation Summit for Education has already established a reputation as a forum that stimulates change at the highest level.”
For further information, visit www.wise-qatar.org
station launched by The Smallholders Foundation, is helping 250,000 small-farmer listeners improve their agricultural, environmental management and market access capacity.
Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, Executive Director of The Smallholders Foundation, explained: “Farmers do not really have access to television. Newspaper vendors do not come to these communities because they know these people do not understand English.
“Our solution was to establish a radio station, which broadcasts information in the
local Igbo language. We provide information from NGO’s, embassies, universities and other institutions about agriculture. In the long term, our listeners will be able to increase their crop yield and household income.”
As the WISE Awards revealed, new models of education can help bring education to people across the world and invite entire communities to take part in it. Showcasing and rewarding these projects, the awards hopefully will be able to help transform education and trigger their replication in the near future.
12 Thefoundation.12 Thefoundation.
SDC auction reveals “formidable social conscience”A record sum raised at the Social Development Center’s 7th annual Gala Dinner will help the organization in its mission to assist the needy in Qatar.
Qatar already holds the record for the world’s most expensive phone number. In December 2007, Q-Tel
successfully auctioned 666 6666 for QAR 10 million.
But last month, the Social Development Center (SDC) 7th Gala Dinner raised a record sum for the poor and needy of Qatar –auctioning off several numbers, with the most expensive eight digits reaching a whopping QAR 4.2 million.
Q-Tel was behind this remarkable achievement too, sponsoring the event alongside Exxon Mobil and offering a series of mobile numbers that helped achieve a total of QAR 28 million in funds. These are now being funneled into projects to support Qatari families as part of the Tarahom Endowment Fund.
Families in need including widows, those in debt, the elderly, orphans and talented academic students who cannot afford education fees will benefit from the fund.
The event “was a spectacular success and generated proceeds for a very worthy cause,” SDC Executive Director Amal Al Mannai told The Foundation. It also “reflected the formidable social conscience of individuals and companies within the Qatari community.”
Indeed an indication of just how serious the bidding was comes when one considers that the starting price for every item auctioned began at QAR 500,000. A raised hand or nod to the auctioneer meant an additional QAR 100,000.
During the balmy December evening, hundreds of distinguished guests packed the Sheraton Hotel for the Iraqi Civilization themed dinner. The attendance of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, consort of the Amir and Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, was a particular highlight.
SoCiAl DevelopmeNt CeNteR
www.qf.org.qa 13
Guests helped raise enough money to continue supporting the SDC’s almost 30,000 beneficiaries and those who will receive funding in the future.
Mariam Al Mannai, the Head of Social Services at the SDC, said that while the evening was a financial success, it was also a truly social occasion.
“The atmosphere was so humanitarian,” she said. “Having His Highness the Amir and Her Highness Sheikha Moza was my most favorite part. In attending, they have shown the community and the world around us that they support organizations that are designed to develop a society.”
The dinner also presented an opportunity for every department in Qatar Foundation to learn from one-another and share fundraising advice. Staff from Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) in particular came out in force.
“We at SDC are more than happy to work with ROTA so we can invest our knowledge in collaboration. We are happy to discuss the lessons we picked up when organizing the gala dinner event,” said Al Mannai.
The night also marked the first time men and women celebrated and raised money for the organization in a mixed environment at an SDC event.
“It was such a good feeling to be involved,” said Hamza Al-Kuwari, the Director of Quality Management Systems Directorate at Qatar Foundation.
As a Qatari himself, the night held a special importance.
“Being part of the mission to achieve stability within families and train them for the future is wonderful. It’s good to know that in some way we helped Qatari families and those who live in Doha. I felt lucky to have participated. I know where this money will go in the end,” he said.
Key projects at the SDC The SDC helps individuals through…n Career counseling, training in areas from beauty schools to opening a small business, and unlocking the creative potential in small, home-based businesses by transforming them into larger enterprises.
The SDC helps low-income or incapacitated families by providing…n Medical care, buying furniture, paying debts, rent, utility bills, giving Eid and Ramadan gifts, issuing food coupons, helping to pay education fees and organizing scholarships.
The SDC helps businesses progress by…n Issuing interest-free loans to support business expansion, holding awards ceremonies to boost motivation and celebrate achievement, providing training to improve the quality of a small business’ end-product.
As for the event, said Al-Kuwari, the night was a hit from the offset.
“It was good from the beginning,” he said. “The traditional music was great and could be
His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser at the SDC event.
enjoyed not only by Iraqis but by Syrians and Jordanians too.”
For many years, the SDC’s Gala Dinner has become one of the most anticipated events on the Qatar Foundation calendar. Its grand dinners are always characterized by performances and displays which promote and explore global culture. Previous galas have been themed on Indian culture, the grandeur of the Venice Carnival and the romance of Andalusia.
December’s soiree was titled ‘The Seven Letters of Rafidain’. It captured the Golden Age of Islam by using theater to depict some of the great minds from that era, including Al Ziryab, the famous musician and artist, and Al Kindi, a polymath who introduced Greek philosophy to the Arab world.
A musical play portrayed the life of Al Jahiz, the grandchild of slaves who became a noted Afro-Arab scholar. He was also one of the first Islamic zoologists.
Visitors were also able to enjoy a Time Tunnel tracing the Golden Age of Islamic civilization in Iraq from the mid-seventh century to the mid-thirteenth century.
The celebrated Iraqi theater director Jawad Al-Assadi was involved in choreographing the performances with a group of Iraqi artists.
Inventions and mechanisms such as the robotic man, armillary sphere, and the astrolabe, an instrument that was used to calculate the direction of the Qibla and to find out prayer times, were also showcased.
“This is a very important fundraising event for us and we have a team of people who have worked painstakingly to ensure that it is a memorable occasion with charitable outcomes. We are very grateful for the support we have received from our sponsors,” Amal Al Mannai added.For more information please visit www.sdc.org.qa
14 Thefoundation.
ReACh out to ASiA
14
The largest-ever donation made to ROTA has enabled a number of projects to raise educational standards in Nepal, Indonesia and Qatar.
ReCoRD DoNAtioN helpS RotA ReACh out
15www.qf.org.qa
16 Thefoundation.
ReACh out to ASiA
reach Out To Asia (ROTA) received its largest-ever corporate donation from Vodafone Qatar in December: a
gift of $2.5 million to support some of its projects. While the generous sum will be remembered as a milestone in ROTA’s history, the charitable gift is about more than just money.
“This is about more than just writing a check,” said Jan Mottram, Vodafone Qatar’s HR Director. “We are working alongside ROTA as equals.”
The venture also marks one of the first steps taken by Vodafone Qatar to embrace the vision of the late Grahame Maher, the company’s CEO who passed away suddenly in November.
“He was so excited about this partnership. We now feel like we are living his dream,” added Mottram.
“This level that Vodafone Qatar has raised is a celebration for both of our organizations,” said Essa Al Mannai, ROTA’s Acting Director. “I would like to dedicate this moment of happiness to Grahame Maher.”
Vodafone Qatar and ROTA began talks a year ago to decide how the phone company can help in ROTA’s mission to empower the needy through education.
Projects in Nepal, Indonesia and, perhaps surprisingly, Qatar, were selected.
In Nepal, 157 schools in the Kailali district will benefit from improvements in the quality
of education, and help with making their buildings more resilient to natural disaster. ROTA estimated that 300,000 people from marginalized communities below the country’s poverty line will benefit from the work.
This includes the employment of extra
teachers and improving and providing basic facilities such as separate sex bathrooms and clean drinking water. In addition, the funding will mean that half of the schools will offer free education.
The World Economic Forum’s 2010 Global
www.qf.org.qa 17
it tOOk us thrEE mOnths tO
idEntify prOJECts: it wAs A lOng nEgOtiAtiOn. with thE yOuth sErviCE Club wE wAntEd tO wOrk with thE lOCAl COmmunity in QAtAr And wE hAvE bEEn vEry imprEssEd with hOw EntErprising thE prOpOsAls hAvE bEEn.
Competitive Index highlighted Nepal as one of the neediest countries in terms of education.
The section on schooling said that Nepal ranked at 116 out of 139 for quality of primary education, while Indonesia was at 55 and Qatar coming in fifth. Finland was the highest rated country for primary education, and Angola the poorest.
in indonesia, the joint venture plans to upgrade the quality of education for 72,000
students and 11,200 teachers from 200 schools in Central Java. A scheme to improve the teaching quality for students from low-income families will help in terms of finance and psychological support.
In Qatar, Vodafone Qatar chose to assist ROTA’s Youth Service Clubs. Students from universities in Doha between the ages of 18 and 24 were invited to make proposals for projects that help the community in which they live. Nine projects, including three led by Qatari groups, were accepted and their work will be completed in June.
“I have been inspired by the level of commitment from these young people,” said Alberta Stevens, the Head of ROTA Qatar. “I’ve been working with them for two years and they are like a family now. They go out and bring more students to us. The movement is getting bigger and bigger and they are enthusiastic to make a difference in the world, not just in Qatar.”
Among the accepted proposals there is an initiative called ‘I Care’ to embrace migrant workers and change the attitudes of students towards those that work in universities; a campaign to promote safe driving; and a project to explore the behavioral issues among young children in schools.
“‘I Care’ for example teaches people to respect those that are working for you. They are challenging stereotypes by creating videos and posters. The students know that it will be challenging but it will raise an important issue. We are not under an illusion that this will change the world in a year, but it does
impact the community,” added Stevens. “It also allows the students to learn lessons in project design, how to run an organization and apply their skill sets to make a difference in someone’s life.”
The winning entries were given budgets of up to QAR 8,000 to carry out their seven-month projects, which are designed to have a long-lasting impact on the local community.
Vodafone Qatar had been particularly keen to support local projects, said Luisa Gentile, the company’s Head of Corporate Responsibility. “It took us three months to identify projects: it was a long negotiation. With the Youth Service Club we wanted to work with the local community in Qatar and we have been very impressed with how enterprising the proposals have been.”
A number of Vodafone Qatar staff will accompany ROTA and volunteering students to take part in foreign trips.
“But this is not a holiday volunteer trip. They won’t just be painting schools. They need the right spirit; it’s a skilled trip and they need a full skill set,” said Gentile. “If someone at Vodafone Qatar is an expert in finance, for example, we will use those skills.”
There will be 22 Vodafone Qatar volunteers in total.
“This will strengthen Qatar’s efforts to build the capacity of Asian schools and educational facilities,” said Mottram at Vodafone Qatar.
Vodafone Qatar’s donation will go towards
ROTA’s local humanitarian projects and education
initiatives in Asia. At $2.5 million, the donation is the
largest corporate sum given to ROTA in the
organization’s history.
18 Thefoundation.
QAtAR philhARmoNiC oRCheStRA
Qatar philharmonic Orchestra’s (QPO) mission is to educate local audiences on classical music; to
engage its school children, encouraging them to pursue music and take up instruments; to play an important role in preserving local musical traditions; and to take Arabic music to new audiences in other parts of the world.
Since its formation in 2008, QPO has had a dramatic impact, with spectacular performances in Doha, London’s Royal Albert Hall and OPEC’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Vienna. And its work was given yet another
oRCheStRA moveS to New homeQatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s new home in the Cultural Village will allow it to dramatically increase both its performances and its outreach programs.
fillip when it moved into its new home in Doha’s Cultural Village last month.
With seating for 500 guests, the Opera House is modeled on the world-famous La Scala in Milan, and features rows of regal seats and grand balconies. It played a key role in the recent National Day celebrations, with hundreds of people attending a special performance of Qatar Symphony.
The response of the audience to the new venue was wonderful, said QPO’s Managing Director Kurt Meister. “The audience appreciated the Opera House very much,” he
told The Foundation. “They are very much impressed by the hall, the acoustics and the stage design.
“The orchestra is very glad to have their own venue to perform. For the orchestra it’s very important to have the facilities and also for rehearsing, preparing for chamber music and practicing. Everything is now together: the venue for the concerts, stores for the instruments and offices for administrations.
“If you see the new Opera House you’ll understand. I walked in and thought ‘ok, this is our home’.
“Now we have the opera house you can sell boxes, seats, special parking, special catering: it’s very important,” Meister added. “You can even have subscription rolls, because people like to have their own seats.”
Since its inception QPO has maintained a strong focus on community outreach. For the
www.qf.org.qa 19
past two years, for example, it has involved local children in annual performances of the opera Hansel and Gretel. Around 40 children were responsible for decorating the stage, making the costumes and, of course, performing in the show.
Meister says the end result was a celebration of Qatar’s diversity. “They were asked, for example, to paint a tree, because we needed to create a forest to cover the orchestra. So everyone painted a tree from where they were from: we had small and large trees, all different kinds of trees in the world. It was very nice to see.”
While undoubtedly lots of fun for those involved, such community projects are important for two reasons. First, they engage children with music and second, as any parent will attest, the most effective way to reach adults is through their offspring.
“I think it’s important to bring something to the children, to let them be a part of the production,” said Meister. Previous events have included giving schoolchildren the chance to conduct the orchestra and the opportunity to speak with the musicians and try out their instruments. “I think that’s very important to show them that it’s fun,” he said. “We give them the idea that music is not boring… We’re hoping that we’ll inspire more people in the region to take up these instruments.
“I saw many children who were a little bit shy at first, but once they’ve seen the instruments they start taking an interest and are asking about lessons.”
ultimately, meister hopes that the result will be a local pool of talent on
which QPO and other orchestras can draw, although he’s realistic about the timeframe: “We can’t expect that in five years we’ll have 20 or 30 Qataris [in the orchestra],” he said.
Focussing on children also allows QPO to reach their parents. After the Hansel and Gretel events, for example, each child is given a CD of the music. “Many parents said their child insisted on playing it in the car. So the result is that parents hear it and come to the
concerts. As a result of that we have family concerts, which consist of a short program with narrators, so I try to convince the parents through the children.
“The main thing we want to get across though is that classical music is fun. We want people to understand that you can come, listen and relax: it’s a kind of education.”
Meister is also firm in his support for Arab music, whether it be working with local musicians – such as Dr Salem Abdul-Kareem, the man who composed Qatar Symphony – or playing Arab pieces to Western audiences – such as Marcel Khalife’s Arabian Concerto, performed for the first time by the orchestra at its inaugural concert, as well as at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Champs Elysees Theater in Paris.
“Supporting Arabic music is very important,” he said. “Beethoven and Mozart are performed by all the European orchestras, but if you’re living in an Arabic country then you have to support Arabic composers.”
QPO now features either an Arabic piece or an Arabic soloist in about 80% of its programs, something that has proved to be extremely popular with audiences. Meister gives the example of QPO’s recent performance in Vienna as part of OPEC’s birthday celebrations. “Everybody expects that we don’t only come with Western classical music.
“We performed in Paris [in May 2010] and it was a good program: we started with Arabic and then the second part we played Western music. You still need to give people what they know, because if you play only Arabic music then people cannot compare the level of the orchestra. We should show them that we can do both.”
The result, Meister says, is that QPO, in its own humble way, can help form a bridge between cultures.
“suppOrting ArAbiC musiC is vEry
impOrtAnt,” hE sAid. “bEEthOvEn And mOzArt ArE pErfOrmEd by All thE EurOpEAn OrChEstrAs, but if yOu’rE living in An ArAbiC COuntry thEn yOu hAvE tO suppOrt ArAbiC COmpOsErs.
20 Thefoundation.
With more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, Abdul Aziz Al Emadi has played a key role in its growth in Qatar. Now, as CEO of Dohaland Hospitality, he tells The Foundation about his plans to help develop the country as a destination for business and leisure, and to promote the industry as a career choice to young Qataris. The Foundation With Qatar hosting the
World Cup 2022, how will it affect the hospitality market in Qatar? Abdul Aziz Al Emadi The hospitality planning for the World Cup needs to be as balanced as possible; it is important to tackle this issue with the big picture in mind, to have a unique and integrated approach to the hospitality market in Qatar – focus on it as a whole unit instead of competing with each other.
This development will strongly support our thoughts on the need to develop nationals to play a bigger role in the hospitality sector in the near future. So, it becomes mandatory to prepare Qatari youth with relevant hospitality education and work experience to be ready for the biggest sport event in the world.
The Foundation You’ve signed a deal for Mandarin Oriental to manage a hotel in Musheireb, but the company does not yet have a hotel in the region. Why did you not opt for someone with more experience of the Middle East?
Destination Choiceof
Abdul Aziz Al Emadi, left, in the early stage of his career.
Abdul Aziz Al Emadi There are a couple of reasons. If you look at developments in the economy today it’s a good time for owners because you have more influence: you can push for a better management agreement, for better commercial terms.
Another reason is that we wanted Mandarin to add to the destination, to have that niche level of hospitality experience within our development.
The Foundation And you approached Mandarin Oriental directly to come to Qatar?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi Yes, we specifically went to Mandarin. We have a strategy of whom to attract. While it’s a good time for owners, it’s also important to have that synergy and ensure that you’re adding to a destination from a tourism and development point of view. You have to have the right fit for Musheireb.
www.qf.org.qa 21
foRwARD thiNKeRS
The Foundation How closely will you work with the Mandarin Oriental?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi For any operator, whenever they enter a new market they need to have support. Of course they have experience of the technical side of things, their policies and procedures, but you need the local knowledge, and that’s true of any country. If you build another hotel in Abu Dhabi or Oman, it doesn’t mean you can take the exact same model and move it to Doha. You need to assess the location, have the right policies, and that’s where we add value to the project.
The Foundation As well as Mandarin Oriental you’ve also announced a joint venture with Premier Inn, through which you’ll open a hotel in Education City. Are there more in the pipeline?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi We have four more hotels in the pipeline: three more in Musheireb and one in cooperation with Qatar Foundation. One can announce a lot of projects, but at Dohaland we believe in building the right foundation, and ensure that when we announce something it’s really happening.
The Foundation Will any of those additional hotels be under the Premier Inn brand?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi In today’s market it’s very important to position the first hotel. With a joint venture, you need to test the relationship and see how it works. And then if the opportunity comes to have a second budget hotel in the country then we will not hesitate to have a second Premier Inn.
The Foundation Do you have plans to expand beyond the six hotels you’ve already mentioned?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi We need to take a while to review and evaluate what we’re doing before we take the next step. The right strategy doesn’t have to be very fast or very slow. At this stage we’re not thinking about it, but if you ask me the same question later in the year, I might have a different answer.
The Foundation It’s interesting that you’ve gone for a budget brand when a lot of the focus in the last few years was on building bigger, better and more luxurious hotels. Do you think that the mid-market sector has been overlooked?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi Think of cars – everyone wants to buy luxury cars but it’s also important to think of the maintenance, about how much it costs and the value you’re adding to life.
While building five-star hotels, you have to make sure that you are adding to the market. It’s not just about adding more five-star hotels so
that we can say we own one too. No. We have to evaluate what we are adding to the country.
The Foundation So far you’ve announced one luxury- and one mid-market hotel. Are you going to look to maintain that balance or will you focus more on one area as you open more properties?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi With Mandarin at luxury, we’re looking at other levels – four and five stars – to ensure we have a mixed use development to fulfill different needs, so when we have customers with different budgets we have something for them.
The Foundation As someone who has worked all his life in hospitality I know that promoting the hotel industry as a career choice for young Qataris is important to you. Is that something you’ll be looking to do at Dohaland Hospitality?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi Yes, we want to really support nationals. As we have a number of hotels and new operators moving to Doha, it’s very important that we encourage nationals to work in the hospitality sector.
The Foundation Why do you think it’s not always seen as being as attractive as other industries?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi Today, there are many sectors available to young graduates and there’s huge competition to attract them. Fresh graduates find it difficult to make up their minds as to where they want to work.
Honestly, working in the hotel sector is a long-term investment. You need to go through
lots of training and development, you have to move among different departments, and only then do you have the knowledge relevant to really succeed in the industry. People don’t always want to be working for 10 or 15 years like that.
When people think of hotels, they look at the lobby, the restaurants, and they think about something beautiful that is there to be enjoyed. But to make that happen you have to see what goes on in the back of the house. The people there are very important, and without them you cannot reach the requisite level of service.
The Foundation What do you think the solution might be?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi People really need to spend more time in the back of house and understand the real hospitality business. Then they can decide if this is what they want to do. Many of them accept the offer but the reality of long working hours might not be appealing, or there’s that better offer in banking... Now, if you compare it with any other sector, even sport, the pay scales are sometimes higher than the hospitality industry. But as I say, it’s a long-term investment and we have to select the right people.
I have a couple of ideas based on my experience but I moved from day-to-day operations over three years ago, so I have to update myself on the market today and reflect on the thinking of the young nationals. I don’t want to make a judgment based on my previous knowledge, because it might not be accurate anymore. So I have to do some market analysis before we come to any conclusions.
The Foundation Do you think that one solution might be more formal training in hospitality? Do universities not offer that currently?Abdul Aziz Al Emadi They do, but the problem is the other way around. Not all students attending the course want to work in hotels. Many of them finish the course as they want to earn their degree, because that’s what you need for a graduate level job, and not because they want to work in the hotels.For more information please visit www.dohaland.com
yOu nEEd tO gO thrOugh lOts Of trAining And dEvElOpmEnt, yOu hAvE tO mOvE AmOng
diffErEnt dEpArtmEnts, And Only thEn dO yOu hAvE thE knOwlEdgE rElEvAnt tO rEAlly suCCEEd in thE industry. pEOplE dOn’t AlwAys wAnt tO bE wOrking fOr 10 Or 15 yEArs likE thAt.
22 Thefoundation.
bioethiCS
the largest collection of bioethical research material in the Muslim world is taking shape at Georgetown
University School of Foreign Studies in Qatar (SFS-Qatar).
The three-year project secured $1 million of funding from Qatar National Research Fund and Georgetown University in the United States, and it is hoped it will put Qatar on the map as a leading centre for bioethical research.
A pioneering project at Georgetown University School of Foreign Studies in Qatar is compiling Islamic thought on bioethics in a single resource for the first time.
AN iSlAmiC peRSpeCtive oN bioethiCS
The huge database of material is being compiled by librarian and research associate Ayman Shabana. He intends, with other researchers, to identify, collect and index Islamic materials on bioethics which have been written in predominantly Muslim countries.
The issue of bioethics in the context of Islam is a relatively new topic, but with the pace of scientific and medical breakthroughs, it is one that has increasing importance for the Islamic world.
Areas such as organ transplant, cloning and in vitro fertilization have all emerged in a relatively short space of time. Through collating documents and books about bioethics in an Islamic context, it is hoped the resource will be of great use to scholars, doctors, lawyers and even members of the public.
Shabana said: “This literature will help answer the questions of whether these processes are permissible from the Islamic legal point of view or not. Most of the material
www.qf.org.qa 23
centers on how to link traditional discussions of relevant publications on Islamic law with the modern discussions.
“The information should inform research. The clinician should understand what the patient’s views might be so they are at least aware. But whether it changes what is or is not allowed is not something we would determine.
“When it comes to banning or allowing something it is up to legal academies or councils who pass fatwas on these issues. We are not doing substantive research on these issues ourselves.”
The task Shabana and his colleagues have
Every month, The Foundation takes a closer look at some of the research projects supported by Qatar Foundation. In the process of constructing its own research institutes, Qatar Foundation is building partnerships with top international research institutes to accelerate its research programs. Qatar Foundation also coordinates and monitors the activities of its centers, such as Qatar Science & Technology Park, Sidra Medical and Research Center, and the six branch campuses in Education City.
Research at Qatar foundation
in collating bioethical publications is huge. Although there is a body of work on bioethics in the Western world, discussions and publications in the Islamic world are fragmented and spread across a range of genres like law, medicine and social science. Those Islamic publications which were previously available were also almost all written in the West and in English.
for shabana, the task of creating a Bioethics Research Library meant
starting from scratch.He said: “We use book sellers, we do it
personally if we come across relevant items, we trace bibliographies and scholarly literature. There are a couple of organizations in Saudi Arabia who have been prominent publishers and there are some councils which meet regularly and they have been an important resource. There are also organizations like fatwa bodies and they often have many relevant discussions on bioethical issues. Our work is to go through and identify these relevant discussions and index them.”
Currently the project has approximately
250 books and documents that it physically holds, but more than 600 resources. When it is finished, it is hoped there will be about 1,000 books and many more resources such as online links and websites. The collection will be held at the Qatar Foundation Central Library.
Why Georgetown should have been involved is not necessarily obvious. After all, the university specializes in international studies. But Frieda Wiebe, the director of SFS-Qatar’s library, said Georgetown University in the United States is home to the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, the largest library of its kind in the world. The institute has been collecting bioethical documents for the last 30 years, albeit most of them are in English. However, that body of knowledge can still inform Shabana’s work and because the two institutions have very close links it meant liaising with them was easier.
The project has not all been plain sailing, however. A major problem was the discovery that the structure of the existing database is unable to handle Arabic and Farsi script, so the project team members have had to research other database structures to provide access to the indexed materials in those two languages as well as in English.
Other work includes producing a glossary of terms to ensure that all translations are the same and there are no ambiguities over meaning.
The funding for the project runs out in 2012 but, as far as Wiebe and Shabana are concerned, it will not be the end of the work.
Wiebe said: “The really important thing will be to carry on the collection after the life of the project. Any collection has to be updated. If we have 1,000 books at the end of the project the number of publications available will continue to grow as the discourse about bioethics continues.”
thE infOrmAtiOn shOuld infOrm
rEsEArCh. thE CliniCiAn shOuld undErstAnd whAt thE pAtiEnt’s viEws might bE sO thEy ArE At lEAst AwArE. but whEthEr it ChAngEs whAt is Or is nOt AllOwEd is nOt sOmEthing wE wOuld dEtErminE.
frieda wiebe, director of the library at georgetown university in Qatar.
Qatar Foundation organized an entire week of cultural events and educational activities in order to teach young people about their past to mark the anniversary of the nation’s founding.
in order for a country to embrace the future, it must first have a clear understanding of its past. That motto was
put into practice to spectacular effect last month as the country celebrated National Day.
QAtAR RevelS iN itS GloRiouS pASt
QAtAR NAtioNAl DAy
Thefoundation.24
Qatar Foundation embraced the occasion with a week-long program of cultural presentations, educational events and other activities. Indeed the 2010 event was a double celebration, thanks to the recent awarding to Qatar of the right to host the 2022 World Cup.
For generations, before the discovery of oil and gas, Qatar’s economy was reliant on the pearl trade. So it was fitting that Qatar Foundation’s National Day celebrations began with a forum dedicated to discussing this important activity.
The event was held at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar
and featured talks from experts on the subject – many of whom have direct experience of the pearl diving industry.
After an opening address by His Excellency Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, in which he stressed the importance of understanding the past in looking forward to the future, the audience was shown a short film named Sons of the Sea, produced by young Qataris, which explored the deep-rooted traditions of their ancestors.
There was also heavy emphasis on the role of women in the pearl diving industry, who
would raise the children while the men embarked on long voyages.
“Men who had reached an age whereby they could leave the family used to go on very long trips and they relied on women to raise their children and to provide a good and decent living for their children. They relied on women to preserve the virtues of the community,” said HE Dr Al Kuwari.
“We should develop our country but we should never give up our traditions, our values and our customs.”
Fellow speaker Dr Ghanim Kaltham went on to explain the ways in which pearl diving
25www.qf.org.qa
26 Thefoundation.
QAtAR NAtioNAl DAy
went beyond a mere economic activity to play a defining role in community life. Many traditional songs, for example, have their roots in the chants that sailors would use to regulate the running of the ship.
The information presented at the pearl diving forum is being collated and will be published in a book in the coming weeks.
The festivities continued the following day with an art workshop hosted by Qatari artists at Souq Waqif. Over a period of three days each of the 10 artists created paintings celebrating National Day, with the audience free to ask questions as they worked. The results were then displayed at the popular venue until the end of the month.
“I am impressed with the students and their attitude to art. Local artists have never come under one roof like this before,” said 54-year-old Qatari artist, Ali Al Sharif, who
led one of the workshops in which he mentored students from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar’s School of the Arts Painting and Printmaking class.
“I didn’t know art had such an impact on people here, generally. But I have listened to people and they participated. They have given constructive criticism and they got involved.”
the celebration of Qatar’s heritage moved from the stage to the big screen
the next day with the premiere of a
documentary film at Qatar Foundation’s Ceremonial Court.
Directed by the British film maker Teresa Griffiths, Tales from the Golden Age, is an hour-long movie using a combination of film and documentary to depict key moments in Arab history which inspire Qatar Foundation’s role of creating a society founded on knowledge.
Divided into three parts, it tells stories related to each of Qatar Foundation’s three pillars: education, science and research, and community development. The first was the story of Al-Idrisi, the Moroccan cartographer; the second followed the life of Fatima Al-Fihri, the Tunisian scholar; while the final installment showed the journey of the Syrian Ibn an Nafis, the first physician to describe the pulmonary circulation of the blood.
Developer Dohaland was also involved in celebrating National Day, commissioning a song by popular Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi, which can be downloaded from www.dohaland.com
Schools too were involved, with Qatar Academy Al Khor paying tribute to the State of Qatar with a special musical performance, while their counterparts at the sister school in Doha performed a traditional Ardha dance and recited poetry.
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra used the occasion to inaugurate its new permanent home in the Cultural Village with a performance of Qatar Symphony.
The symphony, which was written by renowned composer Dr Salem Abdul-Kareem specially for Qatar Foundation, has been played around the world, in Turkey, Spain, Germany and in London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Following daily rehearsals for a week, guest conductor Thomas Kalb led the orchestra in performing the piece, which tells the story of Qatar’s history.
Lasting just over 40 minutes, it is split into four movements: the first movement describes the first generations of Qataris, while the second reminds the audience of Qatar’s relationship with the sea and the importance of the pearl diving industry. The third movement reflects the economic growth of Qatar and its development in all aspects of society, while the final movement deals with the hopes for the future of the nation while still retaining the cultural traditions of previous times.
Along with the performance of the Qatar Symphony, the orchestra played a
specially-composed concerto featuring the rababa; a traditional Arabic instrument played in a similar way to the cello. It is believed to be the first time the instrument
wE shOuld dEvElOp Our COuntry but
wE shOuld nEvEr givE up Our trAditiOns, Our vAluEs And Our CustOms.
SeCtioN
www.qf.org.qa 27
has been combined with a Western orchestra.Qatar Foundation Radio, meanwhile,
commissioned a series of programs from across Qatar offering deep insight into the country’s heritage and history as described by the people who experienced it.
Constructing two temporary studios to cover events across Doha, QF Radio’s reporters spoke to elder men and woman about the past – from how traditions of camel raising and racing are changing, to how different tribes use different irons to brand their herds.
Listeners heard ecology warnings from
falconers describing how a lack of awareness has harmed wildlife in Qatar; how Qatari women traditionally tanned leather, fetched firewood and water and made leather bags to store dates and wove fur and sheep’s wool to make into tents. They were treated to vivid descriptions of life aboard a pearl diving ship, and the tombs on Haloul and Shraoah islands for those who died undertaking this dangerous activity.
With much of Qatar’s history still passed down through the oral tradition, its was particularly fitting that QF Radio should speak
to the individuals still alive to describe it; helping not just with the celebrations, but with the documentation of the root of that celebration.
The week’s activities culminated with a spectacular event at Qatar Foundation, including a horse parade and rides for children and a traditional ardha dance.
Al Ardha, a communal sword-song dance, is meant to commemorate heritage and encourage kinship. The dance originates from warriors preparing for battle, serving to display weaponry, physical prowess, and the numerical strength of the group.
SeCtioN
28 Thefoundation.
Definitely, the time has come.Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint
Nasser, the Consort of the Amir of Qatar, opened her defense of her country’s right to hold the World Cup by saying, “It’s time”. In so doing, she showed those present that the Arab world is living a new reality, aspects of which are embodied in this supremely elegant Arab, Muslim woman; addressing them in English, without flattering them by giving up her values.
She’s from an ‘East’ which no longer resembles their vision of it. Its wealth isn’t under its feet, but in the minds of its people. This East has understood that the war now is a war of information and that the one who possesses knowledge possesses the world.
the mother who Gave birth to a NationBy Ahlam Mosteghanemi
Sheikha Moza has been preparing her children and the people of Qatar for years for an historical moment such as this; attracting the world’s largest and most prestigious universities to her country and overseeing every educational and scientific endeavor herself. For that reason, she is now able to enter into battles of great significance - and she wants an overwhelming victory for her country, earning it the honor of competing with the big players.
She is a descendent of Zenobia, Cleopatra, and the Queen of Sheba – women who married themselves to history and brought up men to change the world.
When finishing her speech, she left the last word to her son. A young man of 23 and chair of the Qatar 2022 Bid Committee, he
embarked with fluency on one of the most difficult of tasks: to present a bid that took years of his and his nation’s time to prepare –in French, the official language of FIFA.
This same youth caused millions of viewers to lose their breath in 2006 when he galloped up stairs on horseback to place his country’s torch and announce the opening of the 2006 Asian Games.
The world will remember the image of that Arab knight and the tears of pride he hid with his hands when he cried upon receiving notice of FIFA’s choice of Qatar.
But what stuck in my mind as a mother, was Sheikha Moza’s ability to resist her own motherly instinct in a moving situation such as this, seeing her children crying.
www.qf.org.qa 29
RefleCtioNS
She gave them a mere pat on the shoulder, standing at a distance. There was compassion in her gesture, not motherliness, for she knows that she isn’t a mother but a nation. She, in everything she does, pays attention to detail, out of respect for history. For that reason, when His Highness Sheikh Hamad, the Amir of Qatar, invited her to stand to his right and handed her the cup, she didn’t raise it up in the air, nor did she hold on to it for long, but lovingly and graciously returned it to him, a man to whom she is indebted for his courage and nobility, along with the spotlight that surrounds her wherever she goes.
Thanks to a new generation of Arab rulers who pride themselves on their wives’ achievements and possess enough self-confidence to accept sharing the spotlight with a woman by their side, Arab women have come to posses a greater degree of influence and presence, crossing beyond their country’s borders to become symbols of the Arab nation at international events.
The world was not in front of a ruling family, but an Arab family with its warmth, its
steadfast traditions and its persistence in the struggle; determination to succeed. She presented to the world a radiant face of Islam, one commensurate to its greatness.
Sheikha Moza’s presence, and the culture and values she has instilled in her children, has helped repair what the terrorists have ruined over three decades, during which time our enemies have risen up to announce our barbarity to the world. Our war with the enemy is a media war, in which the West proclaims what it wants, and broadcasts what makes us look bad.
Except at a global event such as this, they weren’t able to hide the pictures. Our victory vexed America, whose president raised the slogan “yes, we can” during his election campaign, yet once it referred to us, decided that it was a “wrong decision” to think that a small country could do what a large country could.
He didn’t hear the words of the former Prince of Monaco: “It is not necessary to be a big country to have big dreams nor to have a large population to make them come true.”
Qatar has wrested its victory from a country superior to it in both power and wealth.
For once, we have won an advanced standing among nations in a fair competition. The sense of inferiority felt by Arabs is what made Qatar’s victory, and its claim of the Arab’s right to hold the event from the jaws of America a unifying and international event, bringing people out into the streets from the Gulf to the furthest regions of the Arab world,
celebrating a victory every Arab considered their own.
One of the Algerians that called in to Al Jazeera to congratulate Qatar was on the verge of tears. He could not, despite his eloquence, have said more than his tears did.
As chance would have it, his call to the program was followed by that of an Egyptian, himself at the height of emotion. Could there be anything better than for this cup to unite the tears of Egyptians and Algerians?
The Algerians celebrated Qatar’s victory nationally, and what increased their enthusiasm is the immediate departure of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, from Munich to Algeria where he celebrated Qatar’s victory with the people of Algeria.
I cried when they announced Qatar’s victory. What a luxury for an Arab to cry out of happiness for a nation. I happened to be in Doha at the time of the event, as a guest of the Book Fair. The Algerian publicists who were responsible for my visit brought Algerian flags on their way to the airport to meet the delegation returning victorious from Zurich.
The best sight was Sheikha Moza descending from the airplane dressed in her abaya, in the midst of her children, having taken off the weapon of her elegance in the West.
Those of her children who came to meet her stopped to kiss the forehead of a
mother who had let them raise all of their heads high. Her grandchildren encircled her from every direction, and raced her to the convertible to fight over the back seat with the childlike excitement of discovering love of one’s nation for the first time along with that of motherhood.
She’s a mother who gave birth to a nation.
Qatar’s victory brought back to me the words of my professor, Jacques Berques, in one of his lectures at the Sorbonne when he, an expert in Arab affairs, said: “There are no underdeveloped countries, just countries whose people have abandoned their love for them.” I found myself feeling sad for Arab countries that don’t suffer from a financial deficit but an emotional one, and for their wealth, which isn’t invested in people but their neglect. It’s as if poverty were their fate and misery a way of life. Countries living outside time, preparing five-year programs and putting them in ten years later, no one holding them accountable for the value of time, nor for the rest of the wealth and what is done with it.
Qatar is not the richest country, but its wealth does not lie in its net worth, but its
credibility. Exactly as with people, the net worth of a country lies in its good reputation. And those who gave their vote to Qatar know that it will fulfill more than it promised to the world. Yet many governments aren’t ashamed to let their promises to their people go unfulfilled. Shame isn’t a requirement for any political candidate in the Arab World.
Victor Hugo said: “There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.”
At the time of the announcement of its victory, Qatar announced that it would begin preparations for 2022 the following day.
The impossible will not accept any delays. The time has come.
Ahlam Mosteghanemi is a notable Algerian writer, author of works such as Memory in the Flesh and Chaos of the Senses. Her latest collection of essays, Nisyane.com, is published in English by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing.
30 Thefoundation.
Qatari students thrive at some of the world’s finest universities thanks to the Academic bridge program.
ACADemiC bRiDGe pRoGRAm
bRiDGeS
www.qf.org.qa 3131www.qf.org.qa
SpeCiAl RepoRt
higher education in the region is changing at a dramatic pace thanks to a significant degree to the institutions of Education City.
A wide variety of world-class universities have opened branch campuses in the Gulf, providing Middle Eastern students with the opportunity to earn a first-rate, internationally-recognized degree in fields from medicine and engineering to journalism and design, all without leaving home.
But for these institutions to truly succeed – unlocking the region’s human potential as they do – one cannot simply import them and leave them to operate in isolation.
There are many differences between the school
system in Qatar and international universities, for example. Many students will have been taught largely in Arabic; Western universities teach in English. Schools often place heavy emphasis on memorization of facts; universities demand critical thinking and analysis.
Schools across the region are increasingly changing the way they teach, better to prepare their students to go on to university either at home or abroad. But inevitably that change takes time. In the meantime, some students require extra tuition to equip them with the tools they need to thrive at university level. And that is the job of the Academic Bridge Program (ABP).
32 Thefoundation.
ACADemiC bRiDGe pRoGRAm
“When the ABP opened in 2001 there was a realization that there needed to be a bridge between Qatari high schools and Education City universities, hence our name,” says Miles Lovelace, the ABP’s Director.
“We are here to prepare talented graduates of Qatari schools, and other schools in the Gulf region, for English-language university education in schools that are reputable and highly ranked around the world.”
The ABP, which is currently celebrating its tenth year, has two main foci: to prepare students for the universities in Education City, where around half of the ABP’s intake eventually go; and to prepare students for other English-language universities around the world.
Last year, for example, around 20 per cent went to the UK, 7 per cent to the USA, and a smaller number to other institutions such as the American universities of Sharjah, Cairo and Beirut.
As with any program designed to offer extra instruction, there always remains the suspicion that it’s made necessary by the shortcomings of the students themselves. That simply isn’t the case, says Lovelace.
First, students have to finish high school with a minimum of 80%, or a B grade, and score at least an intermediate level on an internationally-recognized English-language test such as TESOL.
Secondly, there is intense competition for places. Of around 500 applications each year, only the best 300 are admitted to the ABP.
“It’s perceived as a positive thing and clearly it enhances their chances of getting into somewhere like the UK,” says Lovelace. “It even expedites their getting in somewhere like Qatar University.”
Originally the ABP was designed like an extension of high school. While that was effective as it provided students with an environment to which they were already accustomed, there were also drawbacks.
“There was a lot of resentment on the part of some students, who perceived it almost as if they were being held back a year. My target was to change this to a community college concept, which is my experience in the US, where they would have half-way high school and half-way the university experience.
“So, for example, they do not have a class every hour of the day here, which allows us to focus on time management. In high school every hour of the day, you’re supposed to be somewhere. Here they have about 10 hours a week where they can do research in the library, do homework.
“Overall in the last four years the student satisfaction surveys that we’ve done have
changed from resenting it to reporting positive experiences. We’ve introduced student government, there are many clubs and activities, football teams. We’ve added drama and debate and model United Nations to supplement the rigid curriculum of a high school.
“Now they see this as a good experience to prepare for the dramatic leap to university.”
That preparation focuses on four key areas: English-language, and computer skills, math and science, all of which are also taught in English.
the program is deliberately broad to enable students to apply for a wide variety
of majors. “We concluded that if a student left high school fairly good in mathematics but he sat dormant for a year with no instruction, by the time he got to university that he would be rusty, so we continue the development in science and mathematics.
“We focus on the language of those subjects in English, because often they’ve been taught in Arabic, or they may have had few lab experiences, so we try to recreate the experience they will have of the first year in university.”
One of the other major changes is to encourage students to move away from
learning by rote. “Here, we’re trying to introduce students to the fact that memorization won’t be adequate for university. So one of the things we work on is to make them critical thinkers and analyze the material they’re given and to realize that there’s not always one answer to a question. They haven’t for the most part been exposed to that in their high schools.
“The very brightest students can probably transcend that and go straight to university, but for the middle range, and that’s what we deal with, the 80th to 95th percentile, it might be too much of an abrupt adjustment. They might be frustrated and drop out, so this is to help them deal with it in a more gradual manner so that the transition to university is not such a shock and they succeed.”
inevitably, given its location in Education City and the fact that many of its students
wish to go on to university there, the ABP works closely with the other institutions within Qatar Foundation.
“We’ve developed a coherent curriculum that, as far as we can, will satisfy the basic requirements for each university. Now there are some shortcomings. For example, we have a student who wants to go to Weill Cornell to
inEvitAbly, givEn its lOCAtiOn in EduCAtiOn City And thE fACt thAt mAny Of its studEnts
wish tO gO On tO univErsity thErE, thE Abp wOrks ClOsEly with thE OthEr institutiOns within QAtAr fOundAtiOn.
www.qf.org.qa 33
be a doctor. They would prefer that we teach anatomy and physiology; more specialized science. We don’t do that: we teach generic science classes that are good background for everyone. Each of the universities has its particular preferences and we can’t always meet all of them.
“Another example is where Georgetown would like us to teach a course in politics and international relations. We don’t do that, but in the English classes we read some political essays. We don’t specifically target our students to one university. For several reasons it’s almost impossible to design a curriculum
that would exactly fit the requirements of each of those universities.”
While the ABP’s facilities are outstanding, with a faculty of 65 and teachers with an average of at least 15 years of experience, there are, of course, some things that the universities, which offer a greater degree of specialization, do better. With that in mind, the ABP utilizes some of those resources – having a Northwestern professor teach a journalism class to those who are interested, for example. In addition some of the best students are offered the opportunity to take courses at some of the universities meaning that, should they go on to earn a place there – it’s important to point out that none of the ABP students are guaranteed places in Education City, or anywhere else – they already have some credits to their name.
“That’s something that very few programs can do,” says Lovelace, “but we can because we’re part of Qatar Foundation.”
In addition the ABP is in the final stages of earning accreditation from the Commission on English Language Accreditation, which means that ABP students can go to any English-language university in the world and start studies without the need to undertake a foundation course.
the Abp also works closely with schools in Qatar to help them understand the
requirements of top rate universities.“Our counselors provide advice to the
counselors in high schools because in the past the process in the UK, Canada or the US where you start talking to the student in the 10th grade about universities, taking the right curriculum and exams, targeting yourself toward a university where you’re likely to be admitted: this hasn’t always existed in Qatar, so they don’t get good advice about how to look ahead,” Lovelace continues.
“We’re trying to help the schools understand what we offer and what the universities expect. That’s one of the things we do. We also visit up to 100 schools a year and offer English workshops for their teachers to see.
“We invite other schools to take part in debate competitions, to bring their students in groups to visit the ABP. It helps them understand that if you’re going to a Western university then this could be a good half way point for you.
“Down the road we hope that with the reforms that are going on, and as the counseling and advising gets stronger and the curriculum gets more appropriate for Western universities, there might not be a need for us at all.”
SpeCiAl RepoRt