In the Name of God, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful
Your Excellencies Sheikhs and Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
University Rectors and Faculty
My Graduate Sons and Daughters,
It gives me pleasure to meet with you today to celebrate the commencement of the first batch of the faculty students of the Education City. We have started to reap the fruits of a national ambitious education project armed aimed at implanting the roots of knowledge, and promoting the strategic role of knowledge in building the country and the citizens. The contribution of Qatar Foundation to shaping this project was quite evident, where it was able through its plans and programs to provide the favourable environment to training a citizen capable of utilizing the latest knowledge and mastering the tools to reach it. Equally he is proud of his identity and civilizational belonging open-minded to others and interacting with them; endeavoring with commitment and dedication to build a modern and developing society; being a productive and not consuming citizens, interacting with a society seeking to build a world in which security and tranquility prevails.
Therefore we take pride in these promising qualified young men and women by whom the Education City confirms that it has become an integral part of the fabric of our national educational project and its functions are integrated with our national university and all the components of our educational structure at all levels forming the optimal means for the advancement of Qatar and meeting its ambition towards human sustainable development.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have given education all due attention and provided it with all available means, out of our belief that whatever great is investment in education its human benefits remains greater and more precious.
We have been and still are keen on diversifying the components of our educational structure in order to provide our student sons and daughters with different ways to obtain knowledge and take from it what suits their inclinations and tendencies, and the Education City is one of these ways.
It was and still is obvious in our vision to enhance this diversification as one of the most important features of our national educational project, which does not distinguish between international education and local one since it is an open project which is not based on duplicity or exalting one source of knowledge at the expense of another. Rather it is based on a firm belief that the upgrading of education requires both local and international expertise and that its objective is the optimal utilization of all sources that are qualified for high level scientific contribution.
This conviction necessitated the reliance of our educational project non the quality principle by introducing educational centers capable of promoting the level of our students in all educational stages and reach with its services to the widest possible social base.
Our vision to upgrade education was not based on a narrow elitist perspective that limits the illumination of sciences to a certain category; but we were keen on opening the way for all our students in implementation of the principle of equal opportunities. This is due to our strong belief in the constitutional rights of the citizen and that the right to education is guaranteed for all, and that advancement of education should not be restricted at all by money or social belonging but rather should be opened to everybody according to the efforts he painstakingly exerts in order to obtain knowledge and master it.
No proof for that is better than the Education City keenness on opening its universities to the male and female citizens from all secondary schools in the country, besides the distinguished students from various nationalities. This in turn helped diversify the student base and qualified the Education City to be a melting pot where all cultures are melted and persons of different civilizations get together and indeed it forms one of the strong bridges that connect Qatar with its Arab, Islamic and world circle.
My Graduate Sons and Daughters,
You are approaching a new stage through which you will be testing the accumulated knowledge you got. You have to implement it in the various fields of life and I am expecting you to prove in the near future that as you were distinguished in the classrooms, you will be God Willing distinguished in your new career positions as active participants in promoting the development and advancement march.
We are determined on the proper investment of all our national and human qualifications to turn our country towards a competitive economy build on knowledge, and we realize quite clearly that this strategic option represents in itself a big challenge and bet.
This choice requires following a continuous upgrading plan of our educational system, providing an attractive environment for creative faculties in science and technology and urging the public and private sectors to innovation and creativity and an another level to reform administration structures to be consistent with accommodating a national manpower on the basis of qualification, capability, integrity and innovation.
Therefore, the road is open for you, the sons and daughters of this dear homeland, but always you have to be endowed with the spirit of perseverance and you have to accept the principle of competition in order to reach your career positions through worthiness and merit. And I myself expect your success as our country’s economy develops quickly and the job market is expanding and the opportunities are increasing especially for young people particularly in industrial sector complementary supporting and subsequent services to our basic industries. This is apart from facilities provided by the State to its citizens in the private sector and free professions out of the conviction that personal initiatives should be supported because it is considered as a tributary that adds to the productivity and advancement of the country.
On this auspicious occasion I wish you all success and ask you to remain in the future as a bridge between your new positions and the Education City which nurtured you and your teachers who educated you.
Congratulations to you on what you have achieved and thanks for those in charge who provided support and care and for your teachers who gave you advice and guidance.
Thank you all for your participation.
May the peace and blessings of God be upon you.