Qatar's father emir, Sheikha Moza attend class of 2015 graduation ceremony

HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and HH Chairperson of Qatar Foundation of Education, Science and Community Development (QF) Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser attended the ceremony to honor the Class of 2015 Graduates of the Education City Universities that was held at Qatar National Convention Center.

Addressing the ceremony, HH the Father Emir welcomed Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, honorable guests, universities senior officials and teaching staff as well as graduating students.

"I am pleased to meet with you today to celebrate honoring this year's batch of graduates of the Education City universities, whom we consider a yield of a huge national project, that we launched in 2003, when the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development entered into a strategic educational and scientific research partnership with prestigious universities," HH the Father Emir said.

"We are today reaping more fruits of this partnership; young cultured and educated youth who are proud of their identity, cultural heritage, and who will set out from the Education City to pass through 'The Door to the Future,' and to step forward confidently to contribute to the advancement and development of their country.

"The credit goes to this institution for qualifying and empowering these young people to do that. It has also proved day after day the sound vision of our country, that the optimum investment is the investment in human beings and their potentials, and that our young people are our country's greatest asset and that they are a source of privilege and pride for this county," he added.

HH the Father Emir singled out education as the "real wealth" of any country and the basis of progress that its absence causes backwardness.

"As we are proud of your graduation today, we are also proud of all our graduates, the sons of this homeland, from various universities and educational centers, at home and abroad, for education is an integrated process, which is not confined to one side, it is a fusion of all components of our educational structure at various levels, which will contribute as a whole to Qatar’s development and achieve its aspirations towards a sustainable development," HH the Father Emir said.

"Qatar has attached the highest importance to education and allocated a lot of resources to it even during the times of crises and difficult economic conditions that we passed through, because of our firm belief that education is the main tributary to knowledge, that elevates and develops nations, and through which we could overcome all social challenges facing Arab societies.

"Poverty has its roots in ignorance, and ignorance begets fanaticism that turns societies from active humanitarian communities to scattered secluded groups.
"As for us, our message has always been the renunciation of intolerance, and securing opportunities for all individuals and groups, so Qatar was and will always remain as a mecca for the oppressed, besides it is today a beacon of education and science.

"However, in this context, as we celebrate this occasion of your success with you, we call attention to your brothers and sisters, the Palestinian students, who are prone to losing their academic future after being banned from leaving to pursue their university education at various Egyptian and Arab universities because of the siege imposed on Gaza. Also we recall your male and female colleagues there in Egypt, who are subjected to torture and killings," HH the Father Emir added.

He congratulated the students on their success and wished them luck in the future, calling on them to be a "bridge between the Education City and your new careers in the broad labor market to maintain your tie with this leading academic institute, to be the best representative of its outputs and contributions." "Thanks and appreciation go to the parents for the support and care they accorded to you. Thanks also to your professors for the advice and guidance they extended to you," HH the Father Emir said.

"In this regard, and on the 20th anniversary of establishing Qatar Foundation, it's incumbent on me to extend my thanks, all thanks to Her Highness Sheikha Moza who exerted great efforts to make our common dream come true. This dream has today become a reality that we could feel its results and witness its successes to achieve a bright future for our country with steady and confident strides.

"Sheikha Moza has not found it enough to be at the helm of this institution only, but also joined its academic track to gain knowledge from one of the colleges associated with it. She is today graduating within the 2015 batch, a seeker of knowledge with a firm conviction that education has a beginning but no end, hence she became an example for the present and future generations," HH the Father Emir said as he concluded his address.

A number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and ministers attended the ceremony as well as members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the country along with members of the teaching staff at Education City universities, parents of graduating students and state guests.

The ceremony featured a documentary film on the 2015 graduating batch from the different specialties.