Hamad Rashid Al Athba, Assistant Under Secretary for Planning Affairs at Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics speaking at the symposium held at Shangri-La Hotel yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
DOHA: Qatar has made significant achievements in the development of human capital because of the importance given by the country to education, said Minister of Development Planning and Statistics H E Dr Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabet.
The Minister said the attention to the education process in the country was reflected in the net enrolment rates in education, which reached 94 percent for children enrolment in primary education, 87 percent for enrolment in secondary education and 99 percent for enrolment in adult literacy in 2016.
Minister’s speech was delivered on his behalf by Hamad Rashid Al Athba, Assistant Under-Secretary for Planning Affairs of the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, at the opening of a symposium held yesterday at Shangri-La Hotel. The symposium was held under the theme of “Development of Human Capital towards Achieving Sustainable Development”.
The Minister highlighted Qatar’s great progress in the field of human development, referring to the results of the Human Capital Report of the World Economic Forum in 2017.
In the report, Qatar ranked 55 out of 130 countries in the human capital index in 2017 and improved its rank by 11 places compared to previous year.
He said that the Ministry is working on issuing the Fifth National Human Development Report, in recognition of the growing national, regional and international necessities to meet the challenges in the areas of human development, and in implementation of the directives of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
He said that in preparation of the Fifth National Human Development Report, the Ministry has decided to strengthen the national contribution to the preparation of reports, through the effective participation of government agencies, the private sector and civil society institutions. The report will support the national development strategies and current and future planning policies.
He noted that the National development Strategy 2018-2022 is consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 agenda. It has adopted a comprehensive and holistic approach to human-centered sustainable development, while seeking integration and sustainable economic, social and environmental development to meet the aspirations of the present and future generations.
The Minister stressed that human capital is the most important element in achieving the goals of sustainable development.
This is why Qatar National Vision 2030 gives priority to building an education system that keeps pace with the international educational standards, and meets the needs of the citizens and the Qatari community in this aspect, he said.
A large number of experts, government departments and civil society organisations attend the symposium, which was organised by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics on Qatar’s Fifth National Human Development Report.
The Fifth National Human Development Report will provide an overview of the efforts of various responsible institutions in the State in promoting investment in human capital in the Qatari society, supporting the national development planning and providing inputs and motivation.
