(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Dr Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh Al Thani, Founder and Chairperson of the Al Faleh Group and Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen co-hosted the opening ceremony of AFG College with the University of Aberdeen on October 23, at Alain Ducasse IDAM Restaurant at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, H E Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hammadi, Minister of Education and Higher Education and Ajay Sharma, the British Ambassador to Qatar, attended the event. Joining the guests were senior representatives from the University of Aberdeen, in addition to a number of senior government officials from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and senior industry figures from a range of Qatari based organisations.
AFG College with the University of Aberdeen recently opened its doors to undergraduate students studying for degrees in Business Management, and Accountancy and Finance.
Dr Sheikha Aisha said, 'We are proud to partner with the University of Aberdeen and be in a position to offer Qatari Nationals and the wider community the opportunity to study for a prestigious UK degree in Qatar. Students of the College will be afforded the same teaching and learning experience as those students studying at the University's central campus and will be taught by Aberdeen faculty, and follow the same academic calendar throughout their studies. Moving forward, we plan to extend our degree offerings, to include subject disciplines, such as Engineering, Law and Medicine at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We consider that the partnership between AFG College & the University of Aberdeen is a great achievement as it portrays the State of Qatar's openness for the further development of higher education provision and the educational enrichment of our youth. We are thankful to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for their significant support and guidance throughout the development of this partnership.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond said, 'As an institution with over 500 years of history we are proud of our past, but we are excited by our future, a key part of which will be our overseas expansion and this partnership is our first overseas campus, a true milestone for the university. We look forward to working with staff and students from Qatar, the wider Gulf region and from around the world, bringing our world class education to the region
Ambassador Ajay Sharma said: 'I am delighted to be at the opening of AFG College this evening to celebrate this collaboration with the University of Aberdeen. British educational institutions are the best in the world and I am pleased to see the strong historic links between the UK and Qatar delivering today a British campus here in Doha.
Equipping future generations with high quality British education will not only benefit the students but also the future of UK-Qatar relations.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Professor Richard Wells, Dean of Transnational Education at University of Aberdeen, 'We believe we are at the start of a long and fruitful journey for both the University and our partners AFG. The future development of our new campus is the next major milestone towards which we are already working and we look forward to welcoming you all back to an event to celebrate that in 2020.
At the close of the formal proceedings, Dr Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh Al Thani presented the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Minister of Education and Higher Education, and Professor Sir Ian Diamond with commemorative gifts in appreciation of their contribution and support for the development of higher education within Qatar.
MENAFN2410201700630000ID1095984088
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.