Kholoud M. Al Ali
DOHA: Nations are ultimately shaped by how they invest in people, not only by infrastructure but by learning, curiosity, and individual potential, according to Executive Director of Community Engagement and Programming at Qatar Foundation, Kholoud M. Al Ali.
In a statement marking Qatar National Day, Al Ali said: “Nations are shaped over time by the choices they make about people — not only by what they build, but by how they invest in learning, curiosity, and the capacity of individuals to engage with the world around them. Progress rises through people, and the future depends on what they are empowered to become.”
Reflecting on this year’s Qatar National Day theme, ‘With You It Rises, From You It Awaits’, she noted that it underscores the inseparable link between national progress and human development. “At Qatar Foundation, we see this as a long-term commitment, strengthened through an ecosystem that places education, culture, and public engagement side by side,” she said. Al Ali highlighted that learning is a lifelong process that extends beyond formal education systems. “Learning does not begin or end at a particular stage of life, nor does it take place in a single setting,” she said, adding that resilient societies depend on learning environments that encourage questioning, confidence, and engagement within public and cultural spaces.
She emphasised culture as a central pillar of this broader understanding of learning. “Culture is where identity takes form and where connection happens,” Al Ali said. “In Qatar, cultural development has never been about choosing between tradition and modernity, but about creating a dialogue between them.”
Education City, she explained, reflects this integrated approach by bringing education, research, culture, and community life together. “It is a place where learning exists as much beyond the classroom as it does within it,” she said. Al Ali pointed to Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum as a key example of this philosophy in practice.
