DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Educationlaunched the 'My values draw my identity' project, which will run for three years from 2024 to 2027.
The project, with its inauguration ceremony attended by Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs Maha Al Ruwaili, aims to complete the plans and programs that began in 2021 under the supervision of the Department of Schools and Kindergartens in the private education sector and in cooperation with the Education Center to promote and consolidate educational values among students through integrated school campaigns and activities.
At this stage, the project provides specialized educational resources to support teachers and students and help them adopt and apply values in their daily lives. The project seeks to promote the inclusive education of our students and strengthen the national identity and Qatari culture in private schools and kindergartens. It also aims to enable students to understand values as practical tools to face daily challenges and provide opportunities to develop students' communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
In his speech on the occasion, Assistant Undersecretary for Special Education Affairs Omar Al Naama said: "This project, which we are launching in partnership with several national bodies and institutions, comes at a time when we are witnessing significant challenges at the level of identity and loyalty, which makes instilling and emphasizing local values necessary to achieve a balance between preserving our traditions and keeping pace with global developments.
For her part, Director of the Department of Private Schools and Kindergartens Dr Rania Mohammed confirmed that the department, in collaboration with the Center for Cultivating Tomorrow's Leaders - one of the educational service centres in the Ministry - has been keen to launch the project "My Values Shape My Identity" in its fourth edition with a fresh and different approach in content and implementation methodology. This unique methodology is based on Islamic and national references when preparing the project's initiatives. It relies on scientific principles to identify educational challenges.
She added that the Ministry was keen to ensure that the initiatives' content is commensurate with students' age stages, with different behavioural indicators and the use of Arabic and English languages.
For his part, Dr. Shawkat Talafha, Executive Director of the Tarbia Center, pointed out that the world is going through significant value challenges, many of which have exceeded the limit of imagination and expectation. Some manifestations and phenomena have become incomprehensible, and the ability of educators to predict the next and new has declined. We have entered into a conflict with these challenges, trying to dismantle them to understand them and to reach the best way to deal with them. Initiatives differ in their content and objectives, including the Aseel Initiative: It aims to strengthen Islamic and national identity. Fitra Initiative: It aims to promote common sense in the hearts of male and female students. Ikhaa Initiative: It aims to raise awareness of how to deal with bullying. Nafsi Amana Initiative: It aims to raise awareness about body destroyers and how to prevent them. Safe Sailing Initiative: This initiative addresses digitization problems and aims to educate students about its safe use.
The project's ideas and plans will be implemented through different stages based on five campaigns during one academic year, continuing for three years, each initiative lasting one month to a month and a half.
The project's launch ceremony (My Values Draw My Identity) included a dialogue session for partners from ministries and government agencies. The speakers agreed that the project is essential in spreading awareness and promoting culture and concepts in Qatari society.
Director of the Community Police Department at the Ministry of Interior Brigadier Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Al Samih stressed that many initiatives aim to instil national loyalty. Special workshops and lectures are directed to each school stage. These initiatives will be initiated with administrators, school social workers, and some parents. He added that there are awareness messages through the Ministry's websites, visits to schools from primary to secondary, and dialogue sessions with students focusing on important issues for students.
For his part, Director of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Ministry of Justice Dr Saleh Ali Al Fadala expressed his happiness with the project and stressed that they provide legal awareness to the community in general. He added that with this initiative, the focus will be on students and children. There are special awareness means for students and children, such as cartoon films, brochures, and electronic games according to the age stage.
Director of the Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Sports and Youth Hind Saqr confirmed that 43 ongoing projects are workshops and lectures on youth issues throughout the year. The Ministry is developing these programs according to the opinions and suggestions of young people in their interest, and with this initiative, the efforts will be unified, and the impact will be greater.
For her part, Reem Malallah from the National Museum of Qatar said that the goal is the same: consolidate the national identity. The museum is concerned with the heritage and history of Qatari culture. We highlight the strengthening of national identity and values in previous generations that form an essential part of modern history. She added that the museum focuses on national symbols that contributed to the renaissance of Qatar and receives visits from students to link the past with the present.
Samah Al-Siddiqi from the Communications Authority said that the Authority organizes workshops and lectures to spread awareness of cybercrimes, consumer protection, digital safety, protecting children from the Internet, and reviewing any content provided to children. The Authority also organizes field visits to schools, ministries, and various facilities to spread awareness of crimes and electronic extortion worldwide.Director and Founder of Qatar Initiatives Dr Mohammed Khalifa Al Kubaisi presented a distinctive initiative for students to become participants in the project and not just listeners by launching a competition to produce meaningful intellectual content that promotes values and ethics. Criteria and a jury will be set for the competition. After collecting the results, all programs will be displayed on a YouTube channel.
