She is not the first woman minister in the history of the Gulf but the second. The first woman minister was from Oman. The second has just become Qatar's first Minister of Education. The appointment of Sheikha Ahmad Al Mahmoud is seen as a major breakthrough for the rights and aspirations of women in the Gulf.

Today, she is the only woman in the Gulf region to hold a high-ranking position though it is fair to say women are beginning to occupy leading positions in state and society.

Sheikha Al Mahmoud is no stranger to the work of government. She has worked hard in the educational system of her country to come to where she is today, only the second woman minister in a state, a Gulf region and, indeed, in an Arab world unfortunately dominated by men.

Sheikha Al Mahmoud has come up the hard way to become what she is today. Armed with a BA in Arabic, she entered the educational system as a schoolteacher in 1970, and quickly moved up the ladder occupying different posts and ending up as headmistress of a secondary school.

For Sheikha Al Mahmoud, this was only the beginning. Having established herself as a capable career woman with foresight about educational methods, she diversified her professional interest. She headed and was a member of different committees related to schools and the drawing up of educational policy in Qatar, serving as a member of the Higher Council for Education in her country.

The crowning of her career though wasn't when she was made a minister last week, although many will dispute this statement. But the highlight of her career was when she become undersecretary of the Ministry of Education in 1996 through an Emiri decree. This is a position she held, cherished and enjoyed until last week.

Many will say that the new portfolio was inevitable for a person who spent nearly seven years in a leading public appointment. However, and according to press reports, she was surprised when she was offered the lead post in the Ministry. She says she did not expect to become "Her Excellency the Minister", but she is ready for the challenge since she is now in the driver's seat. Sheikha Al Mahmoud, who is in her 40s, is a widow with four children, two boys and two girls. She appears to cope very well in spite of the hectic pace of life. She says that when she was offered the appointment, she consulted her children. While she hesitated at first, they were all for it and didn't give it a second thought.

That says a lot about the closeness of Sheikha Al Mahmood's family and points to the fact that her professional life has not affected her private one despite the long hours she sometimes puts in at the office. Her consulting her children says a lot about how she deals with things at the workplace.

Many of her colleagues have been quoted as saying she is a good listener and never rushes into things. "She always listens to different points of view before taking any decision," Ali Yosef Al Mahmoud, director of the Adult Learning Department in the Ministry of Education, told the Qatari-based daily, Al Sharq.

She appears to be one who likes to take time and weigh things before making an important decision. For instance, she was asked recently whether it was time to end the separate schooling system for boys and girls in Qatar. Her reply was typical of her style, personality and probably her character. She just said it was still premature to talk about the introduction of mixed schools in the country.

But judging from her past experience as an educationalist and a public official, it is clear she intends to make changes to leave her mark on the educational field and the ministry she is leading.

Sheikha Al Mahmoud does not want to break from the past as she was part of it, sharing the policy-making process of the Ministry of Education. However, she wants to qualitatively capitalise on the developments that have been achieved so far. She wants to improve the standards of schools and the curricula, stressing the need to create a better, fully qualified generation equipped to meet the demands of this fast changing world.

Hence, she can't stress enough on building "quality education" so that the standards of Qatari schools meet and compete with international standards.

Another area dear to her heart is the English language, which she wants young Qataris to learn well. She wants young men and women to grow up conversing fluently in this language, arguing that this is the language of the process of globalisation. And this is part of a new "schooling environment" she wants to build on and help enthuse the young.

There are lots of changes going on in Qatar at present. The citizens of the state have voted on a new constitution, women already have the right to vote and the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has allowed for the formation of a National Committee of Human Rights. It has 13 members, including one woman from the ruling family, Sheikha Ghalia bint Mohammad Al Thani. In that sense, the new Minister appears to be part of a liberalisation process the country is going through where women are playing an increasingly important role.

The Ruler's wife, Her Highness Sheikha Mozza Al Misned, is pushing for a bigger role for women. The new Minister of Education recognises this and is now seeking to put these developments within an educational context.

One of the ambitions she is trying to achieve at the school level is to create a school generation - young men and women who have confidence in themselves and the ability to converse and have opinions and who are responsible. This is to build for the future and create a better society.

Having brought up four children herself, Sheikha Al Mahmoud clearly knows what she is talking about and what she wants to achieve for young people.

Gulf Research Centre

Articles from the author

Profile: Rare honour for Gulf woman