(MENAFN- The Peninsula) 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 Turkiye 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 Turkiye 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 Turkiye 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.
He said in a statement to QNA, on the occasion of holding the 8th session of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee chaired by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and President of the Republic of Turkiye H E 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.
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.
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 October 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. 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 Turkiye 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.
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.
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 Turkiye, knowing that it is the first time that Qatar University has signed MoU with Istanbul Technical University, which is the first technical university in Turkiye.
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.
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.