Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Affairs to QNA: 1,500 Seats in New Government Scholarship Plan -1-

Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Affairs at the Ministry of Education and High Education Dr. Hareb Mohammed Al Jabri has revealed the introduction of special programs for the top ten students in both the literary and scientific tracks at the state level, allowing each student to choose their preferred field of study in Qatar or abroad. Dr. Al Jabri emphasized that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has also reviewed and improved the financial benefits for scholarship recipients to address the rising costs of living and inflation in most host countries to spare any financial pressure, with the minimum external scholarship amounting to QAR 14,000, in addition to pre-departure costs and an annual ticket to the host country. Notably, students studying in the medical fields will receive greater benefits to encourage and support these specializations. Regarding the Amiri scholarships for the top 24 universities worldwide, Dr. Al Jabri stated that the monthly stipend will be QAR 20, 000, in addition to being counted as years of service and the disbursement of two business class tickets to encourage students to join and study at these prestigious universities. He noted that the scholarship policy considers cultural diversity, encouraging students to study in countries with different cultures to expose them to various civilizations. However, the final choice rests with the student, provided it aligns with the ministry's approved universities. The ministry aims to distribute scholarships to students across approximately 550 universities, including those under the Amiri scholarship program. For non-English speaking countries, Dr. Al Jabri highlighted that the ministry allows Qatari students to study the language of the host country, such as in Japan, China, South Korea, Spain, and Germany, mentioning that the number of Qatari students in these countries is increasing annually. He stressed that self-funded students who wish to study abroad should obtain prior approval from the ministry for diploma, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. He further noted that increasing qualified national university capabilities would raise Qatar's international education indicators, which means that the success of the community members in obtaining university degrees and postgraduate studies supporting and facilitating the acquisition of these skills, whether through scholarships, self-funded studies, or local universities, is crucial. Dr. Al Jabri also emphasized the ministry's responsibility for the quality of educational outcomes. Therefore, it must be regulated to ensure that students do not enroll in unaccredited or poorly ranked universities, particularly in sensitive fields like medicine and engineering. The ministry seeks to balance encouraging the pursuit of academic degrees while ensuring students obtain valid qualifications from recognized universities. Hence, the ministry has implemented a straightforward approval process to facilitate this and ensure that the chosen universities are among the approved institutions. Additionally, he announced that the ministry would soon release new lists of universities eligible for government scholarships, noting the limited number of Arab universities currently available for such scholarships. He acknowledged the ministry's awareness of this issue and mentioned that a study had been conducted on the matter. QNA, Dr. Hareb Mohammed Al Jabri concluded his interview with QNA by praising the cooperation between the Scholarships Department, the Student Information Center at the ministry, and the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau regarding government scholarships, reviewing the nature, mechanisms, stages, and various fields of this cooperation. Source: Qatar News Agency