CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar / General

Awqaf Ministry launches research contests for students, teachers

Published: 14 Oct 2025 - 08:36 am | Last Updated: 14 Oct 2025 - 08:42 am
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani with other officials during the event.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani with other officials during the event.

Sanaullah Ataullah | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), has launched a new annual national competition titled “The Schools Award for Reading and Research”, aimed at encouraging research and enhancing the cultural and intellectual levels of students and teachers across the country.

The initiative was unveiled at a press conference held at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs headquarters yesterday. It was attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani; and Head of the Scientific Research Department at MoEHE, Ghanem Al Humaidi.

Registration for the award is open, and  interested candidates can find more details and submit their entries through the official award website (https://islam.gov.qa/bhth/).

Addressing the event, Director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani, said the award is part of a series of cultural and intellectual initiatives aimed at promoting scientific research and elevating the intellectual and cultural standards of different segments of Qatari society, especially teachers and students.

“The award embodies our motto: ‘We read to think… and we write to rise’,” he stated, noting that it consists of two main categories: one for teachers and another for students.

The teachers’ research award focuses on a central theme with multiple subtopics each year. This year’s theme revolves around “Islamic Values in Education” and is structured around five key areas.

The first area deals with the conceptual foundations and significance of Islamic values in building individuals and communities.

The second examines the impact of these values on creating a positive educational environment. The third focuses on methods of integrating values into curricula. The fourth explores the role of teachers and school leadership in promoting Islamic values. Finally, the fifth addresses the challenges and solutions related to embedding Islamic values in education.

Teachers must submit original research written in Arabic, between 150 and 250 pages, following academic research standards. The competition allows co-authorship by multiple teachers from public or private schools.

The top three winning research papers will receive a total of QR150,000 in prize money: QR70,000 for first place, QR50,000 for second, and QR30,000 for the third.

The student award involves summarising selected books, with two groups based on school level. The first group includes students in Grades 7, 8, and 9 (Preparatory Stage), who will compete by summarising books. The second group includes students in Grades 10, 11, and 12 (Secondary Stage), who will also compete by summarizing books.

Students must submit handwritten summaries that preserve the original ideas and structure of the books. The length of the summary should not exceed 60% and not be less than 30% of the original text. A total of QR120,000 in prizes will be distributed among 20 winners in each group, with individual awards ranging from QR1,000 to QR 3,500. The top three students in each group will also receive an additional QR5,000 after passing a knowledge test on the book they summarised.