Qatari-Turkish Keenness to Develop Educational Cooperation to Achieve Development Goals, Keep Pace With Latest Developments

Doha, October 14 (QNA) - Qatari-Turkish relations have witnessed successive developments over the past few years and became a model for positive and fruitful fraternal cooperation between brothers. It included various important sectors, among them is the educational cooperation which is of great importance to the officials of the two countries, and which has made many strides in line with the two countries' desire to advance the education sector and achieve sustainable development goals between the two countries. Qatar and Turkey have rich experiences in developing academic, vocational, applied, and technical education, which allows the two countries to exchange experiences and expertise, thus, enhance their educational system in line with the latest developments, serve their goals in building a knowledge-based economy, where the education sector is its main pillar, and at the same time embodies their convictions that education is the driving force for growth, development, and modernization. No doubt that the interest in the educational cooperation process between Qatar and Turkey is due to the wise guidance of the two wise leaderships in the two brotherly countries, and the firm and common desire to strengthen this vital sector within the other cooperative sectors and areas that find great attention via conferences, meetings, and joint committees on various their levels. In this context, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and Chairman of the Qatari-Turkish Joint Working Group on the Qatari side Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, praised the advanced level of cooperation witnessed between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkey in the field of education, affirming that they have made an important stride in this cooperation thanks to the wise guidance of the wise leaderships of the two countries. His Excellency said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), on the occasion of holding the 8th session of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee chaired by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and HE President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that the two countries signed a cooperation agreement in the field of education in December 2015, and it was activated through the first meeting of the joint working group, where they discussed the possibility of cooperation in the fields of certificate equivalency, exchange of experiences related to new technologies used in the field of education, teacher training, vocational and technical education and the measurement and evaluation. HE Dr. Al Nuaimi pointed out to another memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of higher education, which was signed between the governments of the two countries, in December 2016, reviewing, in a related context, the most prominent educational fields covered by Qatari-Turkish cooperation, and the agreements and memoranda of understanding signed by the two countries in this regard, as well as cooperation in the field of e-learning, vocational education, technical education, teacher training, and twinning of public schools between the two countries. He affirmed the two countries' desire to further develop their cooperation in the education sector in all its fields, including cooperation between universities, institutions, scientific and research centers, cooperation the field of scholarships, and the exchange of expertise and educational experiences. It is noteworthy that in the context of cooperation in the education sector between Doha and Ankara, the first Turkish school was opened in Qatar on Oct. 16, 2016, with 272 male and female students, while the number of Turkish students studying in Qatar's public schools reached 152 male and female, and in Qatar's private schools 1020 male and female students. The number of Turkish employees working in Qatar public schools is 14 male and female, and 128 male and female employees work in private schools in Qatar. There are also 6 Turkish universities listed on the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's list of government scholarship universities and the universities in which the study is conducted at private expense. Cooperation in the higher education sector received remarkable attention, which was manifested in agreements, memoranda of understanding and cooperation protocols that covered academic, research and student fields to achieve the aspirations of the two countries in translating MoU signed between them in 2016. In this context, Qatar University (QU) and Ibn Haldun University (IHU) in Turkey signed in December 2021 an agreement to enhance joint cooperation between them, with the aim of benefiting from common capabilities to serve the two institutions, including student exchange and support for sustainable development in the field of economy based on knowledge transfer. The agreement stipulates the launch of PhD dual degree program aimed at students pursuing a doctorate degree of PhD in Business Administration at QU and PhD in Management at IHU, where this dual degree will assist each educational institution in attaining their educational missions through promoting active cooperation between the two institutions, in addition, this program will also contribute to enabling their students to achieve cultural pluralism in educational and academic opportunities in a global environment. Qatar University (QU) and Istanbul Technical University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in January 2021 in order to enhance cooperation between the two universities in the fields of science, technology and education. The memorandum stipulated strengthening methods of cooperation and partnership between the two universities, especially in the field of scientific research, which reflects the development and progress in the academic path, and achieves the strategic plan of Qatar University as part of its quest to achieve the goal of excellence in scientific research by supporting research and innovation in areas compatible with national research priorities, community needs and future aspirations at the economic and social levels, with the participation of local and international stakeholders. Regarding this memorandum, Qatar University affirmed that the MoU with Istanbul Technical University would enhance research cooperation between the two institutions, and provide opportunities for capacity-building and excellence in the field of science and technology for the benefit of both countries, as desalination and water treatment are among the strategic goals of both the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkey, knowing that it is the first time that Qatar University has signed MoU with Istanbul Technical University, which is the first technical university in Turkey. This memorandum will also provide a framework for the exchange of educational, academic and scientific experiences, and the exchange of information, including newsletters, journals, studies, statistics and other data, conducting studies, holding conferences, meetings, training and exchanging faculty members, scientists and researchers. With the aim of enhancing cooperation in the academic, research and professional fields, supporting students, and taking advantage of the mutual capabilities of the two parties in the fields of education and training, Qatar University signed a memorandum of understanding with the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc in March 2022. According to what the two parties confirmed, this memorandum of understanding will activate the partnership with the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc, facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology to serve the university and society, and deepen the relationship with the local and global industrial sector towards more cooperation and joint interaction to support the educational process and students, and to establish new relations towards fruitful cooperation between them, in the aforementioned fields. In the field of student exchange, Qatar University signed a cooperation protocol with the Turkish Knowledge Endowment, according to which 30 students are sent annually to the university to complete their undergraduate education in Arabic. Qatar University has concluded similar agreements and memoranda of understanding with Bahcesehir University, Marmara University, Anatolia Center for Near Eastern Studies, Istanbul Economics Research, and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. In April of this year, Lusail University signed a cooperation protocol with the Turkish Knowledge Endowment as well, through which the university would announce the educational opportunities available there and provide the necessary facilities to join them. Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and its Turkish counterparts also have advanced educational relations, as partnerships and partnerships have deepened in this context in order to advance science, technology, innovation and higher education and enable the two brotherly countries to face global challenges in this regard. In this context, the Turkish Embassy in Doha has partnered with the university to send about fifty students annually to study there in order to learn the Arabic language. HBKU also signed a number of memoranda of understanding and agreements with the universities of Istanbul, Ibn Haldun University, Sabahattin Zaim University, Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, with the aim of cooperating in student and academic projects, cooperative research studies, joint contributions to academic and scientific publications, exchange of scientific documents, in addition to extra-curricular activities, such as educational courses, language programs, conferences, symposia, faculty exchanges, summer schools and diploma programs, and opportunities for PhD students to collaborate with their peers, including writing PhD theses under joint supervision. This cooperation also includes organizing seminars and conferences, master's programs in Islamic studies, Islamic finance and economics, Islam and international affairs, humanities and digital societies, women's studies in society and development, translation studies, and audiovisual translation. As a result of joint efforts, the cooperation between HBKU and other Turkish universities has resulted in the organization of many events, including organizing the Fourth International Conference on the Muslim Ummah in partnership with the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Turkey and participating in the Istanbul Copyright Awards competition, the sixth edition of which was won by HBKU Publishing House, among (52) publishers representing 26 countries, as well as the house's continuous participation in the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, in addition to the acquisition of the rights to publish many distinguished Turkish books, their translation and publication in Arabic, and on the other hand, several Turkish publishing houses have acquired the rights to translate books issued by Hamad Bin Khalifa University to publish them in the Turkish language. The continuation of cooperation in the education sector between Qatar and Turkey, within the framework of the agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries, confirms the keenness of the two sides to enhance the prospects of their educational relations and to explore new opportunities. This adds new horizons to this cooperation in its various fields, according to systematic, scientific and studied visions, plans and programs that keep pace with the agenda of the twenty-first century and confirm the pivotal role of education in achieving the relevant global development goals. (QNA)