Doha: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) recently held the fourth discussion session of the "illuminations" initiative.
The Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, who attended the session, honoured the speakers and students who participated in the "My teacher.. I will not forget you" initiative, which was dedicated to writing situations and stories about teachers who positively affected the lives of their students. The 16 teachers and 16 students whose stories were selected as the best entries in the initiative were honoured by the minister.
The session was also attended by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, the Dean of the College of Education at Qatar University, Dr. Hessa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the CEO of Teach For Qatar, Nasser Al Jaber, and 300 teachers from public and private schools.
The session, which was moderated by an educational expert in the office of the Minister of Education and Higher Education and the general supervisor of the "illuminations" initiative, Maryam Al Mohannadi, came to renew and enhance teachers' passion for the teaching profession, and as part of the ministry's program to celebrate World Teachers' Day.
Dr. Abdul Nasser Fakhroo, an Associate Professor at Qatar University, who was the keynote speaker for the session, said that the teacher is the person who influences the personality of every student, and he is the virtuous educator who raises future generations and leaders of the country, and through his hand, opportunities, concepts, and knowledge are given, which are not only applied in the classroom, but also students apply them throughout their personal and professional lives.
Dr. Fakhroo noted the need for teachers to be proud of their noble and great profession, and to feel the strength of its influence since it is a profession that focuses on instilling values and promoting noble principles and making the teacher a person capable of improving and enhancing opportunities for many of the children in his schools, which Qatar needs in implementing Qatar National Vision 2030, which is based on human development, pointing out that the psychological aspect of education is no less important than the scientific and academic aspect, which makes the teacher comprehensive in his roles.
The Chair of the advisory committee for teachers in the ministry, Alanoud Abdullah Al Hammadi, spoke about her beginnings as a teacher and her contribution to educating students for many years, many of whom have graduated and are now working in different professions. She said that, through her presidency of the advisory committee, she conveys the teacher's voice to the competent authorities.
Ghadeer Abdel Rahim Al Yafei, a teacher and coordinator of mathematics at Barzan Preparatory Girls School, explained how she became a teacher after learning about the "Teach For Qatar" organization even though her major is industrial engineering. She said that her first experience of teaching was a lot of fear and dread in the classroom, especially since students vary in abilities and, therefore, their personalities vary according to their upbringing and environments.
Nasser Fayez Al Hajri, a student from the College of Education at Qatar University, affirmed his love for the teaching profession and his involvement in the field of education and teaching since childhood, and saw that teaching is not a job that is done daily for a few hours and ends, but rather an extended message.
Mohammad Khaled Al Hajri, a student from Umm Salal Model School for Boys, thanked all the teachers and expressed his appreciation and support for them for the effort and fatigue they provide to educate students and build their personalities, and expressed his desire to join the teaching corps in the future.
The "illuminations" initiative launched by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education this year is based on holding periodic discussion sessions and meaningful educational dialogue; to discuss the most prominent educational issues in a comprehensive and integrated framework, which ends with the use of the outcomes and recommendations of these sessions to enrich the educational plans, programs, and activities of the ministry.
