Qatar's SEC reviews higher education issues

The Supreme Education Council (SEC) held a plenary meeting with heads of universities and faculties and chairs of boards of trustees of higher education institutions under the chairmanship of HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Mohammad bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, who is also Secretary-General of the Council, to discuss higher education issues and its trends in the State of Qatar.

At the outset of the meeting HE Dr. Al-Hammadi reviewed the most prominent higher education issues and trends in the State of Qatar, the governance of higher education, diversity in higher education, university scholarships and funding and the importance of databases and information. He also reviewed a proposal for the formation of an advisory committee on higher education, stating objectives, tasks and working mechanism of the proposed committee.

Participants discussed issues presented in a presentation, including the need for legislation regulating higher education, licensing and supervision powers and supervision including the authority to grant degrees at universities and the importance of supervisory bodies as quality assurance central bodies, and also the need for a central body in the state responsible for integration between programmes of different institutions to avoid duplication and to ensure their alignment with labour market needs and the state's development aspirations.

Regarding diversity in higher education, participants posed a question on whether there is sufficient diversity in higher education systems in the state, covering different categories of students, their needs and growing numbers such as academic, practical, technical and professional trends of education.