Screen grab of a Qatar TV interview of Saleh Al Muftah, Career Guidance and Professional Development Consultant at the Education Ministry
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has announced a new Academic Bridging Program that will allow humanities-track secondary school graduates to pursue scientific and technical university disciplines under the Government Scholarship Program, in a move aimed at better aligning student talent with future labor market needs.
Speaking to Qatar TV yesterday, Saleh Al Muftah, Career Guidance and Professional Development Consultant at the Ministry, said the new initiative forms part of updated scholarship criteria designed to balance students’ academic achievement with their individual talents, interests and career aspirations. Al Muftah said the new Academic Bridging Program is being introduced through an agreement between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Academic Bridge Program at Education City.
The initiative is designed to support humanities-track students whose talents, interests and career aspirations lie in scientific and technical fields.
He explained that under existing scholarship regulations, students from the humanities stream are generally expected to continue into humanities-related bachelor’s degrees. However, the new pathway will allow eligible students to transition into scientific specializations, including computer science, refrigeration and cooling technologies, pharmacy and certain engineering disciplines.
To qualify, students must complete a one-year Academic Bridge Program, achieve the required cumulative grade point average (GPA), and successfully complete designated science courses that prepare them for admission into their chosen field of study. Upon meeting these requirements, they will be eligible to pursue the scientific specialization that aligns with their abilities and interests.
“This is a new program that supports talented students whose interests may differ from their original academic track,” Al Muftah said, noting that many humanities students possess strong capabilities in scientific and technology-related fields.
He stressed that the revised scholarship framework seeks to identify student strengths early and guide them toward specializations that match their skills and ambitions. Students are assessed based on their interests, abilities, values and academic performance before being directed to either domestic or overseas scholarship opportunities.
Al Muftah said scholarship options have expanded significantly in recent years, with a growing number of specializations available through both local and international scholarship programs.
He added that students can also receive support for disciplines not currently listed in scholarship plans if they align with national workforce needs and individual talent.
The Ministry has also broadened scholarship pathways in areas including science, technology, engineering, health sciences, education, sports and the creative economy. According to Al Muftah, newer fields within the creative economy track, such as event management, television production and related industries, are attracting increasing student interest.
He explained that scholarship planning is carried out in coordination with the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau and the Ministry of Labour to ensure alignment with workforce demands across both public and private sectors. Scholarship recipients are linked to sponsoring employers and undergo selection interviews before final placement. Al Muftah highlighted the continuous updating of scholarship programs to accommodate emerging disciplines, including artificial intelligence and other future-oriented sectors. He noted that Qatar currently offers access to top international institutions through the Amiri Scholarship Program, which includes 24 leading universities worldwide in addition to five designated universities within Qatar. As an example of the system’s responsiveness to student interests, Al Muftah said the Ministry recently introduced support for nuclear engineering studies abroad in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
