Officials, university leaders and representatives at the conference.
Doha: A shared commitment by higher education institutions across Qatar to provide the nation’s university students with the services and support systems that help them to excel has been signalled at the inaugural edition of a conference held under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and hosted by Qatar Foundation.
The Qatar Higher Education Student Affairs and Services Conference, which took place at Multaqa (Education City Student Center), saw university leaders and representatives explore how their students are currently supported beyond the lecture hall and the laboratory – from wellbeing and accessibility, to leadership and career development opportunities – and how collaboration can elevate their university experience even further.
The Qatar Higher Education Student Affairs and Services Consortium was formed this year — with QF instrumental in its establishment — with members of its board representing 11 institutions. Its goal, outlined at the conference, is “to help us serve our students better, and together”. And speaking at the conference, which saw a panel of students share their experiences and perspectives, higher education leaders from QF emphasised how Qatar can create its own model for ensuring its students have the best university experience possible, rather than importing practices from elsewhere, if ideas and knowledge are shared across its education landscape.
Executive Director of Student Services, Dr. Abdulnassir Al-Tamimi, within QF’s Higher Education division and newly appointed chair of the consortium, spoke about how students’ needs are changing rapidly beyond the classroom as well as within it, whether it is mental health challenges, AI changing the way they learn, financial pressures, or uncertainty about whether jobs will be available when they graduate. He emphasised how these challenges extend far beyond the classroom, meaning the work of those involved in student affairs and services matters more than ever.
“Qatar has invested significantly in education, bringing together a remarkable diversity of institutions, people, and ideas,” he told at the conference. “We should not simply look elsewhere for good ideas or best practice. We should collaborate, innovate, and help to create the next best practice here in Qatar.”
Speaking at the conference, Francisco Marmolejo, President of Higher Education and Education Advisor, QF, said: “A student’s university experience is shaped by much more than what happens in the classroom. It is shaped by whether they feel they belong, whether they are supported when they face challenges, whether they have opportunities to discover their strengths, develop their leadership, build relationships, and prepare themselves for life beyond university."
In his keynote address, Dr. Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, founder and Vice Chairman of Barzan University College in Qatar, positioned student affairs and student services as integral to education and the development of human potential, with his central message being the importance of learning from global experience while building an approach rooted in Qatar’s values and context, with students being active partners in shaping their educational experience so that it is designed with them, not simply for them.
