Manama: Qatar and the UK have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the teaching and learning of Arabic language and culture across UK schools.
The signing was part of the agreements reached by Shaikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Minister of Culture Ed Vaizey.
The meeting in City Hall in London reviewed Qatar and the UK’s mutual interest in developing areas of collaboration in science, technology and education.
“Qatar Foundation, along with the British Council and the Mayor of London, is laying the foundations of this project to significantly increase the number of students learning Arabic, increase the number of those teaching Arabic, and improve the understanding of the Arab world across the UK,” Fathy Saud, president of Qatar Foundation, said. “This is an important asset to celebrate the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture.”
Another MoU, signed between Qatar Foundation, the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the UK Higher Education International Unit and the British Council, establishes a High-Level Bilateral Forum focusing on research and education. The four themes of education, research and development, innovation capacity, and social and cultural development, will be pursued in more detail.
“There is a desire to develop the creative potential of young people as well as to support their interests in a wide range of fields,” Fathy Saud. “This is at the very heart of Qatar Foundation’s mission and by working with leading UK institutions to encourage greater cooperation in arts and culture, our mission can be further advanced,” he said in remarks emailed to Gulf News.
Qatar Foundation said that it supported a large number of collaborative projects in collaboration with UK institutions and universities, which also serve Qatar’s needs in developing human capacity and earning recognition as an important generator of knowledge across the world.
