College of Shariah and Islamic Studies Starts Qatarisation

DOHA: Qatar University’s College of Shariah and Islamic Studies has implemented the  Qatarisation process by providing national students with opportunities to pursue postgraduate education and engaging them in workshops to enhance skills and knowledge in preparation for the workplace.

Led by Dean Dr Abdel Hakeem Yousuf Alkhelaifi, the college has 16 Qatari faculty members out of 60, and 439 Qatari students out of 764. The college is implementing strategies to increase its capacity of Qatari faculty and students. Ten graduates are employed as assistant teachers who are pursuing Master’s and PhD degrees at universities around the world under QU’s scholarship programme. 

“We plan to launch two minors — psycho-religious counselling and Islamic finance — in collaboration with College of Education and College of Business and Economics, respectively, to boost enrolment of national students within the college as they introduce areas of interest that are important to society’s welfare,” Dr Alkhelaifi said. He said the psycho-religious counselling minor will enable graduates to work in hospitals, prisons or family institutions and offer solutions to social and psychological problems.

The Islamic finance minor will allow them to work in Islamic banks, insurance companies, and finance departments in ministries, corporations, and non-governmental organisations. “Last June, the college celebrated the graduation of 133 students, and a majority of them joined institutions such as the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior and Islamic banks. Many are pursuing higher education to join QU as faculty members after graduation.

“Since 2013, we have organised 11 workshops in collaboration with the Office of Faculty and Instructional Development for faculty members to promote the importance of developing specific skills in their teaching methods, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork and to incorporate them into their teaching strategies,” he added. He said while Qatarisation was critical for the country’s development, expertise and knowledge from expatriates are essential to enrich the labour market in general, and the academic sector in particular.

Originally published on www.thepeninsulaqatar.com