549 students graduate from Qatar Foundation

A total of 549 students from the Education City of Qatar Foundation (QF) were presented with graduation rings at a ceremonial event in the presence of HH The Father  Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and QF chairperson HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.

QF vice chairperson HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani and a number of distinguished guests were present at the ceremony which took place at the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion, HE Dr Abdulla bin Ali al-Thani, president Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), said that the graduation ceremony was a clear pointer to the fact that education is the key instrument for the development of a society.

He said: “The number of our talented graduates at convocation is growing and so is the range of their specialisations.  We have achieved this in such a small number of years due to our strong partnerships. And this spirit of collaboration continues to serve us well as we develop more research-based graduate programmes.”

Wendy Kopp, chief executive officer of Teach For All, who was the guest speaker on the occasion, motivated the students with her focus on the need to take up the cause of education all around the world.

She underscored the importance of education and challenged the graduates to take up the cause of education in a big way.

“Education is one of those things that needs time and  the work of a generation, or more for change. Basic education is currently underfunded by $26bn a year. Globally, less than 9% of development assistance is directed at education,” Kopp added.

The graduates are from HBKU’s partner universities - Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar, HEC Paris in Qatar, and University College London Qatar.

Gulf Times