Doha: Qatar Museums, under the leadership of its Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, will chair the Academic Committee (AC) meetings for 2021. Aligned with the beginning of the academic year, this platform was designed to raise awareness of various learning tools and opportunities and resources that Qatar’s arts and culture sector has to offer and to share expertise and align the work of schools, Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute and Reach Out to Asia. A build up from the Teachers Committee already established by the Qatar Museums, this further engages and enhances learning offerings to all members of the community.
Teachers and school principals from across Qatar are invited to attend the AC meeting virtually on Wednesday, 29 September from 9.30 am to 11.30 am. The platform is inclusive to private and public schools, with support from the Ministry of Education and Qatar University.
H E Sheikha Al-Mayassa, Chair of the Academic Committee, will deliver welcoming remarks, after which senior representatives from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education: Dr Ibrahim Alnaimi, Undersecretary; Fawziya al Khater, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs; and Omar Al Naama, Assistant Undersecretary for Private Schools, will share their observations on the importance of aligning informal and formal education for the benefit of school programmes and with the aim of augmenting learning. The President of Qatar University, Dr Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, a member of Qatar Museums Board of Trustees will also be in attendance with the support of the Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Ahmad Al Emadi.
The programme will include a host of presentations supporting efforts to bring the two sectors closer together. The presenters: Dr. Steffen Sommer, Principal, Doha College; Nihad Ahmed, Consultant, Ministry of Education and Higher Education; Dr. Jelena Trkulja, Senior Advisor for Academic and Cultural Affairs, Chairperson’s Office, Qatar Museums; Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Acting Deputy CEO of Exhibitions and Marketing; and Sheikha Shaikha Al Thani, Acting Deputy CEO of Digital Experience and Audience Engagement, will cover topics on informal learning opportunities, curricular alignment, upcoming exhibitions, anti-Covid measures, the new Qatar Museums website and other themes relevant to schools.
H E Sheikha Al-Mayassa said: “Qatar Museums launched the Academic Committee as a secondary step to the Teacher’s Committee that was established more than six years ago. The objective is to foster collaboration between schools, universities, museums and other cultural institutions, and also to align school curricula with hands-on learning offered by culture and arts-related institutions. Museums are neutral platforms, incubators for innovation and learning and we welcome this cross pollination that will provide an invaluable platform for education professionals to maximise learning outcomes. By default, museums become external learning labs enabling teachers and faculty to teach all subjects across all different curriculums available in Qatar.”
Qatar Museums will work closely with school principals to gain a deeper insight into the latest trends, initiatives and curriculum content of primary, preparatory and secondary schools across Qatar. This will assist with developing enhanced custom-tailored educational offerings that align with school programmes. The alignment will also inform Qatar Museums’ long-term exhibition planning to support and complement school curricula.
Membership to AC will be on a rotating basis, with new members able to join annually, upon invitation. School principals who have excelled in devising and implementing visionary projects in their schools, as well as those who have engaged their schools in active and creative ways in the world of arts, culture and museums, will be invited to join the AC, which will meet six times a year. Once a year, the AC and the Teachers’ Council (TC) will convene simultaneously.
Teachers and school principals can attend the inaugural AC session online on Wednesday, 29 September from 9.30 am to 11.30 am by clicking on this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83881028046
Those interested in becoming members of the Committee in the future can express their interest by writing to: [email protected]
