(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar University's ongoing commitment to the Qatarisation process has resulted in an increase in the capacity of national students pursuing higher education studies, it has been announced.
There has also been a positive impact on the recruitment of competent faculty members and staff in high-level teaching and managerial positions within QU and the labour market.
At QU's College of Sharia and Islamic Studies (CSIS), the process has been implemented by providing national students with opportunities to pursue postgraduate education, and by engaging them in a number of workshops to enhance their skills and knowledge in preparation for joining the
workplace.
Led by dean Dr Abdel Hakeem Yousuf Alkhelaifi, the CSIS currently has 16 Qatari faculty members out of 60, and 439 Qatari students out of 764.
The college is implementing several strategies to increase its capacity of national faculty and students. Currently 10 CSIS graduates are employed at the college as assistant teachers while pursuing their Master's and PhD degrees at several well-renowned universities around the world under QU's scholarship programme.
"We are also planning to launch two minors - psycho-religious counselling and Islamic finance -in collaboration with the College of Education (CED) and the College of Business and Economics (CBE) respectively, with the aim to boosting the enrolment of national students within the college as they introduce areas of interest that are important to the society's welfare," Dr Alkhelaifi said.
He explained that the psycho-religious counselling minor enables graduates to work in hospitals, prisons or family institutions where they can offer solutions to social and psychological problems, while the Islamic finance minor allows them to work in Islamic banks, insurance companies, and finance departments in ministries, corporations, and non-governmental
organisations.
"Last June, CSIS celebrated the graduation of 133 students, from which the majority joined many institutions such as the Ministry of Endowment, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Interior, to name a few, as well as Islamic banks. Many are pursuing higher education studies in order to join QU as faculty members after graduation,"
Dr Alkhelaifi said.
The college is also implementing a number of teaching methods and curricula especially designed to graduate competent and well-rounded nationals with the skills and knowledge that enable them compete at the highest level in an increasingly globalised labour market, and in line with the goals of Qatar National
Vision 2030.
"Since 2013, we organised 11 workshops in collaboration with the Office of Faculty and Instructional Development for faculty members to promote the importance of developing specific skills in their teaching methods, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork, and to incorporate them into their teaching strategies,"
Dr Alkhelaifi said.
Dr Alkhelaifi also noted that while Qatarisation was critical for the country's development, expertise and knowledge from expatriates are essential factors in the enrichment of the labour market in general, and the academic
sector in particular.
"Both Qatarisation and foreign diversity are very important to us. It is very essential to work with expatriates in order to create a rich and varied working environment which is based on different cultures and backgrounds, and which plays a core role in the progress and the growth of the country."
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