REPORT ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN QATAR (Part in green3) - Research Paper Example

Key Market Opportunities in Qatar’s Higher Education Sector AFFILIATION: Key Market Opportunities in Qatar’s Higher Education Sector Areas where UK Universities have potential for expansion in Qatar In order to boost the higher education sector of Qatar, UK educational institutions will have to develop course curriculum keeping in mind the requirements of its workforce (UNDP, 2012). The foremost thing that is being done is introduction of Basic English courses that will help students learn English language and improve their speaking, writing and listening abilities. In Education City, medical training centers are being developed by foreign Universities that will open doors for medical education and research and even assist in development of healthcare institutions where patients are provided the best service. There are various student exchange programs conducted by UK universities that can be initiated at upper level so that people who are willing to study abroad are provided appropriate financial help (Coughlan, 2012). In addition to developments at private level, government organizations need to take steps to provide financial assistance to talented students. It is recommended that top ranked universities of UK enter into mutual projects with Qatar’s government so that they can restructure the educational system and increase the number of students getting enrolled in universities. Although some educational reforms have been started in its medical sector but that needs to be done in other sectors as well so that highly skilled and competent workforce is created (Nasser, 2012). Likewise, male students should be encouraged to avail abroad opportunities by allowing them to do job with their study programs so that they can earn money, support their families and enhance their knowledge and skill base. Some staff development programs are being reviewed so that people who have not acquired relevant information or lack some skills can acquire new ones and strive to get good positions in companies. In addition to these factors, there are certain programs that need to be designed in accordance with the requirements of Qatar education sector so that employability issues are resolved. Students’ Information in Higher Education Sector Supreme Education Council of Qatar is the main governing body of Qatar’s educational sector; the concerned authority asked RAND to undertake a year study for assessment of current opportunities available in higher education sector. According to UNDP (2012), majority of Qatari students go to Qatar University for higher education and number of students getting enrolled in universities that are private has increased to 800 in year 2009-2010 from 260 in 2005-2006 and technical colleges to 2,025 from 1,200 respectively. The number of students in Qatar University has fallen to 65% in 2009-2010 from 80% in 2005-2006. It is expected that in between 2011 and 2016, the number of students will rise up to the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.7% in Qatar and forecasted growth in higher education is up to 13.4% from 12% (ElGahnem, 2010). Lack of courses for meeting demands of current students Students in Qatar are struggling hard to get entry into higher education and some who even get admitted are unable to complete their degree course. Some of them are even not prepared to work in country’s labor force because their qualification is incompatible with demand and most of them lack proper soft skills. Even there is less information available about career choices. There are fewer options available for technical and vocational educations that hinder their paths to these areas of employment (Khodr, 2011). In order to boost the country’s economy, there is a need of well-designed science and mathematic courses but they are not meeting international standards and this area is of utmost concern for students as they want to prosper in this field. Courses unavailable for employability needs From the study of RAND (2012), it was found that there was demand of various occupations such as technical, sales, services and professional ones for men and clerical and professional occupations for women; all of these occupations demanded employees to have at least a higher level of education. However, it has been found that the career choices and education options for men are limited and they are not aligned with demand of their jobs in the market. In terms of educational options such as program offerings, there are only few limited options that can prepare them for working in fields that are highly demanding ones (Sawahel, 2012). The country is focusing on development of a good healthcare system and it will be important for it to have well-developed facilities along with highly qualified professionals who can provide best quality services to its citizens. In order to have appropriate healthcare system, human resource development needs to be done with extreme set of efforts. Areas filled by stakeholders Since there are limited options in terms of degrees and specializations offerings, government of Qatar is allowing some foreign universities from UK and USA to start their universities in its newly developed Education City in Qatar. The main areas addressed by them are capacity building so that programs are successful in developing competent and a highly skilled workforce; foundation courses are added to help students in getting acquainted with English language; distance learning is being supported by creation of virtual universities; employer engagement initiatives are done by allowing them to visit universities so that they can employ best employees for their organizations; open policy dialogue forums so that concerned authorities develop right policies that will help them in achieving a good quality workforce and soft skills development programs are introduced meeting the demand of highly skilled lower labor workforce (Sawahel, 2012; UNDP, 2012). References Coughlan, S. (2012, June 8). Why is Qatar investing so much in education? BBC News.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18151511 ElGahnem, N. (2012, June 9). Qatar addresses low college graduation rates. Al-Shorfa.com. Retrieved September 2012 from http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/main/2012/06/09/feature-01 Khodr, H. (2011). The Dynamics of International Education in Qatar: Exploring the Policy Drivers behind the Development of Education City. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2(6), 514-525. Nasser, R. (2012). The breadth and depth of foundation courses in Qatar's only public institution of higher education. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 4(1), 42-57. doi: 10.1108/17581211230621. Sawahel, W. (2012, July 8). More university places and better quality needed, says report. University World News. Retrieved September 22, 2012 from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120704111415121 UNDP (2012). Expanding the Capacities of Qatari Youth: Mainstreaming Young People in Development. Retrieved September 22, 2012 from http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/national/arabstates/qatar/Qatar_NHDR_EN_2012.pdf Read More