Sheikha Moza visits Qatar university

HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser has met with a number of members of the administrative authority, faculty and students at the University of Qatar during an open dialogue organized by the University at the education building this morning.  During the meeting a number of topics were addressed most notably the importance of Qatar University's role as a national university besides discussion on a decision Arabicizing the medium of instruction as well as the University's role in support of many programmes in the scientific research field.  At the outset of the meeting, HH Sheikha Moza expressed pride of being one the Qatar University graduates and spoke about the significance of the University as a national university and a major player upon which Qatar National Strategy relies, noting that Qatar University, since its foundation, has achieved significant achievements at various levels, the most important of which being the provision of Qatar labor market with local workforce  to become the main tributary upon which depends the sustainable development in the state.  HH Sheikha Moza bin Nasser thanked the University for its efforts to 'nationalize' scientific research and to form   a research infrastructure for 480 projects supported by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).  In response to queries by some students on the decision of the Supreme Council for Special Education to Arabicize the medium of instruction at the university, HH Sheikha Moza praised the Arabic language as "our mother tongue which we must work to revive'',  stressing that it was and to date is a language of science and research. On the other hand, she said, the University must care for the continued work to develop students' skills in the English language by offering different programmes involved in this area, provided that the English language is to be a prerequisite for graduation from the university and not an obstacle hampering acceptance in it.  In a speech addressed to the administrative authority and the faculty,  HH Sheikha Moza underline the  need to open channels of communication between the faculty and students, work to understand their needs and solve the problems that impede their academic and scientific drive at the university.  She added that the university should take into consideration  development in various sectors of the state and meeting of the labor market requirements  through its various programmes and qualifying of students.  With regard to the relationship between the University of Qatar and  Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), HH Sheikha Moza said  both are national organizations of common goals, explaining that when the Foundation adopted the partnership model with an elite of prestigious universities, its prime objective was to benefit from their  expertise and cooperation with the University of Qatar as a reference for quality and educational upgrading.  At the conclusion of the visit, HH Sheikha Moza toured the university campus' new buildings such as the  new library, the research complex and premises of the engineering, management, economics and law faculties.