Minister of State H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari; the Chairman of the Planning and Statistics Authority, H E Dr Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit; Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Khalifa Al Nuaimi
Qatar University (QU), represented by its Social and Economic Survery Research Institute (SESRI), organised the National Identity Conference, which discussed both national identity and the role of education in promoting national identity in Qatar.
The event was attended by Minister of State H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari; the Chairman of the Planning and Statistics Authority, H E Dr Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit; Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Khalifa Al Nuaimi; President of QU Dr Hassan Al Derham; and Director of QU’s SESRI Dr Hassan Abdulrahim Yousef Al Sayed, as well as a number of researchers from QU, students, faculty, government agencies and other interested participants.
Dr Al Kawari spoke at the event and discussed the importance of identity in determining the role of each individual person. He says identity is a modern concept and involves a system of cultural values shared by a group of people and a sign of their affiliation with each other. This also includes language as an essential vessel to preserve heritage.
Dr Al Nuaimi spoke about the role identity plays in safeguarding the conscience of the nation. He said various ministries and institutions in the State of Qatar work hard to cultivate and promote intrinsic values.
In his welcoming address Dr Al Derham said: “I am pleased to launch this National Identity Conference in Qatar University, which is organized by SESRI, one of the leading research centers in QU.
The topic of the conference is a pivotal issue as national identity is the basis for societies today, where it sets the nation apart in as a cultural, social and political ‘code’ or ‘cultural imprint’.”
The conference comes one decade after the establishment of the SESRI research institute in QU. The institute has conducted more than 100 survey projects that tackle different aspects, including economic, social, health, education and sports.
Dr Al Sayed spoke about the importance of the National Identity Conference in identifying what makes up the Qatari national identity in order to support decision makers when designing national policies related to identity.
