THE graduation ceremony of the 7th batch of Al Zaeem Mohamed Bin Abdullah Al Attiyah Air College students, held on Wednesday at its headquarters in Al Udeid Air Base, was a momentous day in the history of the country as first Qatari female fighter pilot passed out of the academy that day along with 96 other cadets.
Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who presided over the graduation ceremony, honoured the fighter pilot, while the commander of the college, Staff Brigadier Pilot Hamad Hadid Mubarak Al Ibrahim, expressed his pride in the graduation of the first Qatari woman as a fighter pilot after finishing the required hours of training efficiently and competently. She will join the ranks of scores of other women who are proudly serving the forces in various capacities including flying helicopters.
There are a good number of women who are employed in medical, IT and administrative fields of defence forces. Like any other modern State, Qatar has always given equal opportunity to women in all fields and the effort has borne fruit over time as many women are now in leadership positions in various institutions and industries.
This is a huge positive as it is not that common to see females in decision making posi-tions in many other countries in the region. Doha has clearly set an example in the region by providing equal access to resources like education without any discrimination that anyone who dreams big have a very good chance of making it a reality. As mentioned on H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser’s Instagram feed “Quality education is essential for every child. It can give children equal opportunities to build a better future for themselves and society as a whole.”
The impact of easy access to quality education can be seen all over the Qatar workplace. Young citizens are taking charge and bringing about innovations and applying out-of-the-box ideas in every aspects of life.
Among them are a good number of women leaders who are shining not only in the traditional fields such as academics and healthcare, but also doing outstanding work in scientific research, policy making and sports to name a few.
Many glass ceilings were broken over time and with a supporting leadership and administration more and more girls will join the ranks of the first female pilot, who scripted history, and will see their dreams come true.
