(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Amna Pervaiz Rao | The Peninsula
DOHA: Under the patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and in the presence of Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar University (QU) graduated the 41st batch of 800 male students in the class of 2018 yesterday at the new Sports and Events Complex at QU.
This year boasts a total of 3,370 graduates, in which 800 are male students, for the academic year of Fall 2017 and Winter, Spring and Summer 2018. During the graduation ceremony H H the Deputy Amir honoured 70 distinguished male graduates.
QU President, along with senior QU officials, deans, dignitaries, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and well-wishers attended the ceremony.
The ceremony started with verses from the Holy Quran and a documentary film on QU's achievements and the development of its faculties, programmes, studies and researches that contributed to meet the community's needs and aspirations, in addition to a presentation about the students' local and foreign participation.
In his opening speech at the graduation ceremony, Dr. Hassan bin Rashid Al Derham, President of QU, said: 'As we celebrate today this batch of distinguished graduates, we are witnessing an important milestone in the history of our beloved homeland. The people of Qatar and its residents have shown a unique loyalty and show of solidarity to our wise leadership, who led the country amid the unjust siege that sought to hijack the prosperity of our country.
Speaking on the future of QU, Dr. Derham told the audience that QU is working in partnership with various sectors to bring about a qualitative leap in the University's education. He said that Qatar University is a national university in which Qatari society is witnessing a revitalisation.
'This shift coincides with the international trends and the Qatar National Vision 2030.
QU, he said, continues to be ranked first in the International Outlook indicator in the overall Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings list for the fourth time in a row.
'We, at Qatar University are working on developing social and human sciences in our academic programs in our study plans, as well as the development of scientific research methods and research centers."
We are making these efforts so that the University can address the issues of the Qatari society and the challenges it faces due to the rapid economic and social developments. The University also strives to promote values of work, competence, excellence, values of belonging and identity, with intellectual openness and innovation.
Dr Hassan said researchers from QU, in collaboration with their contemporaries from other universities, have made a leap forward in developing engineered living heart valves that can work like natural heart valves and grow bigger after implantation in human heart. 'Inventions such as these work toward developing Qatar and making the community as valuable as possible.
'QU seeks to play a leading role in bringing about a wide-ranging intellectual and scientific revival in different fields. QU is not just a traditional entity, in fact it is an active idea that leads students and faculty towards building the future of their homeland. QU acts as a tree with its roots deep into the ground of the country. The branches carry high values and it bears fruits that nourish the hearts and minds of our community from professors to students to researchers.
'Among us today is the graduate Abdullah Saeed Al Khwar, a student of the College of Law. His father tragically died of an incurable disease. As a result, Abdullah decided to donate his liver in his father's honor. He withdrew from QU for a semester and then returned to complete his studies. Now he is among us today as a graduate. Your family is proud of you Abdullah, and so are we.
'Today, we also celebrate Saeed Essa Al Thawadi, a special needs student from the College of Business and Economics. He possessed a determination to complete his studies, as did his mother who supported him, by taking him to all his classes and helped him to fulfill his educational needs. Today, Saeed is graduating with a degree of excellence. Thank you Saeed for your diligence. God rewarded his mother with the best reward, she was patient and resolute, and today she is reaping the fruits of her labour.
Hadi Mohammed Al Anzi, a graduate at the ceremony said: 'My family has been there for me step by step throughout my career, which is the biggest motivation for my success today. QU means a lot to me and to all the graduates because it is what makes us a productive generation for the State of Qatar. The university is the home of giving and is the way of my development and progress.
Dr Omar Al Ansari, Vice President for Academic Affairs at QU said on this occasion: 'This is an important, momentous day, as we graduate the 41st batch of students from Qatar University (QU). 41 is an important figure as it indicates how much the University has grown over the years. We are greatly interested and focused now on the structure of our faculty, increasing the number of Qatari faculty members and increasing scholarship rates, so that we can have the most competent teachers and researchers be a part of the QU family.
Qatar University: Past and future
With the graduation of the 2018 Class, Qatar University (QU) will have marked the graduation of 41 batches of students since its establishment in the late 1970s; since then the University has been striving to be a platform and a minaret of knowledge and enlightenment in Qatar's aspired future. With this new batch, the number of QU graduates has exceeded 43,000 of which 30,000 are Qatari nationals.
The decree of establishing QU was issued on June 8, 1977 under Law No.2. In 1974, the name suggested for the university before it was established was the Green Book of the Gulf University; the book includes a thorough study of higher education, its plans and stages in Qatar.
The commencement of study at the College of Education was advertised in the academic year 1973-1974; two school buildings were made ready for students by the Ministry of Education (formerly led by Minister Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani). The first building was for the Teacher Training College (males) while the second was the Teacher Training College (females). The college started offering various scientific majors such as Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Geology; students were granted a bachelor degree in science and education. These programs were the basis on which the College of Sciences was established later on.
Non-scientific majors were also introduced beginning with Geography, History, English and Arabic Languages, Sociology and Community Service. Students were granted a bachelor degree in Arts and Education; similarly, these majors turned to be the basis of the subsequent College of Humanities in addition to the Islamic Studies major, which was the basis for establishing the College of Shariaa and Islamic Studies. After the issuance of the University Establishment Law in December 1977, there appeared what was known as a 'Blue Book, which is a study of the QU history outlining the QU plans until the end of the 1990s.
Then, planning to have permanent buildings began with the forming of the Foundational Committee whose designs and studies were finalised in 1977 and construction works began since then until they were completed in 1985. The new buildings of the university were equipped with more than 100,000 types of supplies, furniture, laboratory and vocational apparatus, which were all placed and installed in accordance with specific designs in an area of 100,000 sqm.
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