Doha, Qatar: Chairperson of Qatar Museums (QM), H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, recently addressed the Academic Committee (AC), which consists of principals of government, private, and international schools, and the leadership and area experts from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
AC is a platform designed to enable better communication and collaboration between museums, various other institutions that offer informal learning opportunities, the Ministry of Education, and government, private, and community schools in Qatar.
Present at the meeting was the Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Maha Al Rowaili, who has actively supported the work of the Committee since its inception in 2021.
Around 70 school principals from Qatar’s most pro-active and culture-minded, serve as members of this distinguished committee that convenes four times a year to share knowledge and expertise in the education field. The membership is open to other interested school principals to apply to join and enrich their schools’ curriculum through their association with AC’s initiatives.
Senior Advisor for Academic and Cultural Affairs at Qatar Museums, Dr. Jelena Trkulja, commented: “Academic Committee is a platform established by HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums. Her vision: to extend learning beyond classroom walls, into our museums, exhibition galleries, cultural and natural heritage sites. At the Academic Committee we work together towards this goal. We bring together school principals, academic leaders, and museum experts to revolutionise the way our children learn. We employ our vast collections, expertise, and the latest pedagogical approaches to enrich learning and make it fun, inclusive, and engaging. Ours is the battle against boring lessons, and in favour of active, participatory approach to learning from actual objects.”
In her opening address, Sheikha Al Mayassa thanked the committee for their time and said: “Museums play a vital role to share stories, history and culture for people of all ages, but especially for those in formal education. That’s why Qatar Museums is committed to supporting schools by providing the resources they need to enhance student’s learning and education across the areas of art, culture, heritage and history, as well as through our special Qatar Creates programming. We look forward to working together to enhance learning opportunities for our communities.”
Members of AC collaborate on a major educational initiative—Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP)--that aims to align museum collections with the school curricula. Additionally, AC serves as a communication platform. Various museums, QM departments and other institutions, such as the Doha Film Institute, announced numerous learning opportunities that will be available to schools during this academic year.
