Most Qataris do not pursue post-secondary studies
doha • A majority of Qataris do not pursue post-secondary studies despite the fact that there is a high demand for skilled professionals in the country, according to a recent survey conducted by the Rand-Qatar Policy Institute.
Dr Sheikha bint Jabor Al Thani, vice president and chief academic officer at Qatar University, shed light on the major findings of the survey, while addressing a conference on higher education in the Arab world that opened at the University yesterday. The survey prepared on behalf of the Supreme Education Council (SEC) found that the availability of well-paid jobs for Qatari secondary school graduates is one of the factors that discourages them from seeking higher education.
However, according to the survey, the most common reasons for not pursuing a post-secondary education are ineligibility for a scholarship and family responsibilities. Since scholarships are attached to grades in Qatar, this indicates that a student's poor performance in secondary school is a significant barrier for further studies. Twice as many female students as male students surveyed indicated that they plan to attend a university to obtain post-secondary diploma and this trend is likely to continue.
Sheikha bint Jabor drew attention to the three "notable gaps" in the higher education sector in Qatar, as pointed out by the survey. Opportunities for students who need remedial academic course work are limited; high-quality degree choices in Qatar are limited; and opportunities to study for a masters degree are limited. Sheikha bin Jabor said the Qatar University has embarked on a reform process and has been diversifying its study programmes to meet new demands. The proposal to establish a community college is being studied by the authorities concerned.
To meet the future challenges, the university has also launched a project to "digitalise" its programmes and teaching process and equip the teachers with advanced skills.
Source ::: The Peninsula
You wouldn't need a huge sample size, since the cohort in question (Qatari school leavers from within the past 5 or so years) is really quite small.
I don't think there would be any reason to dispute the study's findings, since it is is based on very easily quantifiable markers - did the student progress from high school on to tertiary study?
I agree with the points above - there is no incentive for people to go to university anyway, since most of them can get a job regardless of education or experience.
As for the comments about trained professionals leaving their fields, that is not at odds with what I see in my workplace - there are many Qataris who trained and worked as professionals (engineers, pilots, teachers) who just wanted to come and work in a government job.
This is my big gripe about Qatarisation - the current plan does not reward academic achievement or personal merit, it is just quota filling. These same arguments have been heard in the west when governments and the private sector considered the idea of meeting quotas of women and minorities in the workplace.
Ulitimately it was realised that demanding, for instance, 50% of the directors of boards should be women was more or less hogwash since companies should be free to chose the best candidates, not restricted to picking from a pre-selected bunch. And there was also a strong backlash from women who didn't want to be treated like charity cases and who would have rather worked hard to achieve their goals on their own instead of being pity cases.
Surveys are at their best contain overall findings and if 200 people took part it is way to little if 10.000 take part then you have a better overview. However, as we all know it is dificult to get two people under one hat.
Education is improving and the way to higher education is improving the only thing that is not improving is the attitude of the younger generation to education.
If the female population can do it so can the male population.
Hamad now has many women steering the ship starting with Dr. Hanan Al Kuwara who is doing her best to train Qataris to take over Managerial positions - this will only work if they take part in an 8 hour working day and not just show up at the office if there is a meeting (i.e. in Primary Health Care and other)and go home again.
The younger generation will be responisble for running the country in the future but without their daily effort to get an education the country will collapse.
Seems to me that the future for Qatar is bleak if the Governement don't really put their foot down and sort the schooling system out.
The pace for schooling needs to be stepped up and an iron grip put on students (especially male) to take responsibility for a country that will be theirs to run in the future (or could it be that Qatar will be the first Matriarch system in the Gulf) wouldn't surprise me.
@adey, yes I could contact them directly, I was just asking if someone knew to avoid the hassle.
@genesis, that's a sad thing to hear. Hope my people become wiser now that we have QF :(
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Yes, when compared to the 90's there are less Qatari engineers out in the market. Even the competent 1's resign earlier to join private companies like (Barwa or Diar) or open their own business (3 of my colleagues have left government corporations to open their own engineering consultancy/contracting offices).The same goes to Doctors, the numbers of Qatari doctors have decreases since the 90's How many Qatari consultant/specialist physician out there? (The few already quitted HMC to open their own private practice. I'm very optimistic in QF. I hope the numbers of graduates increases gradually.The sad part so many prefers the easy choice of joining Army/police force or securing a government clerk job with their high school certificateNo wonder development/IT centers like "new horizon" are booming
Don't know who conducted the survey but it says on behalf of the SEC
You would have to contact SEC to find sample size, geographical area, social class etc
I don't go to mythical places with strange men.
-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.
@adey, you understand my reaction as being defensive from the post above :S.... don't be too sensitive.
And it's not a government survey, if you read the first paragraph, it says the survey was conducted by the Rand-Qatar Policy Institute
It's an institute which is part of the QF umbrella only.
To reiterate though, I simply wanted to know how many people were surveyed. Was it 100 people and then 60 out of them didn't want to go into further education? Did they survey a wide range of Qataris or a certain area/class? I'm interested because I actively assist the Ministry of Education now and then.
Statistical sampling is fine when they have the correct spread and sample enough.
@genesis, do you mean to say that we had more graduates in 2000 than now? Despite having more Universities and Institutes?
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Totally agree with the study. I was just discussing that with friends the other day. Only few of my class mates on high school made it through college . Some attempted & then drop out. According to Qatar university graduates statistics, there is only 197 qatari electrical engineers( This was back in 2000). Since then numbers of Qatari graduates are decreasing. The study however is more applicable on males. As most Qatari females continue their eduction.Too bad at the end the graduated girl end up marrying the college drop out guy (and this is a reason why divorce rate is high)
Come on mate, your own government does a survey then you get all defensive.
I am sure you know that surveys rely on statistical sampling and don't need to survey the majority to calculate trends.
I don't go to mythical places with strange men.
-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.
Might be nice if they started getting more Qataris into teaching, developed an updated teachers' training college and increased job security and pd for all the Egyptians and Jordanians who are terrified of losing their jobs. On the other hand, maybe compulsory "Military" training (ha, ha,) will have some effect.
Wait, how many people have been surveyed? Need's to be a high amount to categorize 'most' Qataris.
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Quotes from todays papers - Compare and contrast.
It's a huge problem and it will take an enormous paradigm shift, plus 2 or 3 generations, to start seeing results. Qatar seriously needs to start now and stop wrapping their nationals in cotton wool away from the realities of the economic world. The political will maybe there but will Qataris be prepared to take the medicine?
The HOPE:
"The
blueprint for Qatar's future will be one based on an educated
population which serves as a producer of knowledge that will become the
nation's greatest export, Dr Hasnah said."
Reality as it is NOW:
"The
survey prepared on behalf of the Supreme Education Council (SEC) found
that the availability of well-paid jobs for Qatari secondary school
graduates is one of the factors that discourages them from seeking
higher education.
However,
according to the survey, the most common reasons for not pursuing a
post-secondary education are ineligibility for a scholarship and family
responsibilities. Since scholarships are attached to grades in Qatar,
this indicates that a student's poor performance in secondary school is
a significant barrier for further studies."
"The
Arab world is facing a yawning market gap as far as local internet
content is concerned. The region's share in the business accounts for
less than 2 per cent, said Mohsen A Khalil, Director, Global
Information and Communication Technologies, World Bank.
Talking
to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the International Conference on
Knowledge Parks, Khalil said even the limited share of the content in
the Middle East is dedicated to entertainment. "The region badly needs
Arabic content for learning, knowledge development, business and social
introduction. These domains are extremely limited in the region",
"there have been literally no patents application coming from the region as well"
I don't go to mythical places with strange men.
-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.
No not at all I am not joking - it isnt' healthy.
HMC does a lot of research into this and it is not just in Qatar.
hi Oryx, how you doing today??
Everybody is right Everybody is wrong, it depend where we stand.
HOW TO GET QATARIS INTO HIGHER EDUCATION
A) The Qatar Education system needs sorting out at grass roots level so as to feed students into higher education.
B) Discourage cosanguiniuous relationships.
how they gonna make qatarization successfull if they new generation with medium education graduated??? what would be qatar future like??
Everybody is right Everybody is wrong, it depend where we stand.