The Ministry of Culture and Sports organised yesterday a seminar on the activities of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (QNCECC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) on the occasion of the anniversary of its founding on November 4, 1945.
During the seminar which was held at the Ministry’s headquarters, Cultural Consultant at QNCECC, Salem Bu Sharbak presented detailed information about the Commission since its establishment on February 25, 1962.
The committee joined a number of Arab, regional and international organizations, explaining that the QNCECC has joined a number of Arab, regional and international organizations, including Unesco in 1972, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in 1975, the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States in 1975 and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in 1982.
He said the QNCECC plays an active role in achieving the objectives of Unesco, which are consistent with the objectives of education in Qatar on the one hand and with the objectives of the QNCECC on the other, through the implementation of many of its programmes, projects and activities in various fields and the coordination with national, regional and international partners to promote citizenship, human rights, justice and human dignity.
The QNCECC aims to make Qatar’s membership in international, regional and Arab organisations a successful investment that benefits all aspects of the educational, scientific and cultural activities in the country and contributes to the national development process according to Qatar National Vision, he added.
He addressed the most important objectives of the Commission, represented in strengthening communication between regional and international organisations and various bodies in Qatar, including familiarising the citizens with various activities of organisations calling for understanding and rapprochement between the countries of the world in general, and Islamic and Arab countries in particular as well as providing advice to the delegations of Qatar to the general conferences of the organisations, and to the official bodies in the State concerned with the programmes of cultural, educational and scientific organisations, and providing assistance to the competent organs of the State with a view to enabling them to make maximum use of the activities of these organisations.
He pointed out that the QNCECC aims to meet the needs of the ministries and institutions concerned with the activities and programmes of the organisations related to education, culture and science, and to highlight the status of Qatar locally and internationally in the fields of education, culture, science and communication. The QNCECC also seeks to open channels of communication with the Qatari public in all its categories through different media outlets.
On the values and principles on which the Commission builds its work, Bu Sharbak said that the QNCECC believes in belonging, loyalty, good citizenship, commitment, responsibility, truthfulness and honesty. He pointed out that the Commission’s references are represented in the Qatari Constitution, Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Cabinet’s Decision organising the work of the Commission, as well as the regional and international instruments and agreements related to the work of organisations. He added that the organisational structure of the Commission is headed by the Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Dr Mohammed bin Abdulwahid Al Hammadi.
Bu Sharbak said that the Doha Secondary School for Boys was only school to join the Unesco’s World Network of Associated Schools, until 2014. The number of schools that have joined the network from the three educational levels so far is 39 schools for boys and girls, he added.
He spoke about Unesco as a UN organisation and its main objectives, pointing that it now consists of 193 member states. Unesco has two governing bodies, namely the General Conference and the Executive Council, each with its own functions and system according to Unesco’s Statute, in addition to the General Secretariat which is composed of international staff headed by the Director-General who is appointed by the General Conference following the election of the Executive Board.
The Unesco General Conference is currently being held in Paris with the participation of Qatar. France’s Audrey Azoulay will be appointed as Director-General on November 10 after her election last month by the Executive Council.
