Qatar’s first female minister Her Excellency (H.E.) Sheikha Ahmed Al Mahmoud passed away yesterday on 29 January 2020. Sheikha Ahmed was appointed as the first female member of the Qatari cabinet in 2003 and the second in Gulf region to do so. She held the position of Minister of Education in the cabinet till 2009. H.E. Sheikha Ahmed leaves behind two daughter and two sons, according to Wikipedia.

H.E. Sheikha Mahmoud had a Bachelors of Arts degree in Arabic Literature and began her career in 1970 as a school teacher. She also served as a secondary school's principal, member of Committee for revising elementary education methods. 1996 saw her become the first female Deputy Assistant Minister of education in Qatar. She was also the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Culture, Cultivation and Education till May 2003 when the Amir of Qatar at the time His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani appointed her as the Minister of Education.

In May 2006, she was appointed as the Secretary General of Qatar's Supreme Education Council, a post she retained till May 2006.

Throughout her career, H.E. Sheikha Ahmed inspired generations through many achievements and initiatives in the education field. She always supported the development of the community culture that became aware of the educational dimension and understood the requirements of quality education and family rights in securing the best educational opportunities. That’s why, in 2018, Qatar University selected her as the Social Responsibility Personality for 2018 in appreciation for her important role in the qualitative development of the awareness of society, its view of education and the involvement of all society groups in education, as reported by QNA.

H.E. Sheikha Ahmed was the daughter of H.E. Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, a Qatari diplomat and politician. In November 2017, he was elected as Consultative Assembly of Qatar, and as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs from September 2011 to 2017.

Cover image credit: Al Raya

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar

Nabeela

Content Writer

Start a discussion