Qatar Foundation Chairperson H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned said yesterday that the Qatar Foundation was going at an important phase of its development. Speaking after the ninth meeting of the Board of Directors of Qatar Foundation at the organisation’s Education City headquarters yesterday Sheikha Mozah said: “Over the past 14 years we have established a wide range of programmes in the areas of education, scientific research and community development. Now we must promote the convergence and integration of these programmes, so that they mutually support each other and become a powerful engine that will drive Qatar towards its ultimate goal of becoming a truly knowledge-based society,” Sheikha Mozah said. The ninth meeting of the Board of Directors of Qatar Foundation was held under the chairmanship of Sheikha Mozah. On the agenda were reports by a number of Qatar Foundation’s member organisations and divisions . Dr Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, Vice-President, Education, told of progress in the development of the elite educational programmes which are gaining Qatar’s recognition as an international hub of learning, and are helping its economy meet its needs for high quality skilled personnel. Board members heard an update on Northwestern University in Qatar, established last summer to offer degree programmes in Journalism and Communication, while the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies also reported on its recent achievements and future plans. QF now offers General Diploma in Islamic Studies, Master of Public Policy in Islam, Master in Islamic Studies, Master and Diploma in Islamic Finance. Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, which has been broadcasting its blend of education and entertainment, in Arabic, since 2005, recently added a second stream aimed at pre-school children. This and other topics were the subject of its report to the Board of Directors. Updates were also delivered by the Qatar Diabetes Association, which is at the forefront of efforts in Qatar and the Middle East to promote the prevention, care and management of diabetes; Reach Out to Asia, which extends Qatar Foundation’s human development mission to less fortunate communities across Asia; and Al Shaqab, an equine education resource center which includes a riding academy, an endurance training complex and a center for breeding and showing world-class Arabian horses. The Board is Qatar Foundation’s highest decision-making body and is made up of leading figures from the fields of education, industry and healthcare in Qatar and abroad. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=February2009&file=Local_News2009021965525.xml

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