Books, literature and scholarships: Exploring education in Qatar

euronews (in English)

Books, literature and scholarships: Exploring education in Qatar  The annual Doha International Book Fair brings together bookworms, literary fans and cultural exchanges from all over the world. We explore how Qatar’s libraries and national reading campaigns incorporate technology and art into their strategies, and meet a few international publishers.  In partnership with Media City  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/08/20/books-literature-and-scholarships-exploring-education-in-qatar  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00What the Doha Book Fair brings to us is the visitors and we get the chance to know about

00:08our audience more, get to know what do they like to read, what kind of activities they'd

00:13like to associate and engage with. We have a big number of French community. For those who don't

00:19know the French culture, they can also come to the Institute to discover the language also.

00:25Hello and welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Laila Humaira. On this episode, we're here at the

00:35Doha International Book Fair, where every year thousands of visitors come to seek knowledge,

00:41share their love for books and dive into the beauty of the written word. But first,

00:46I'm exploring how technology and artificial intelligence is becoming a real page-turner

00:51for libraries. The Qatar National Library is a veteran participant of the Doha International

00:58Book Fair. This year, the pavilion has returned with a few new spins that reimagine a future-ready

01:05library. From a virtual librarian to augmented reality, Qatar National Library is embracing

01:11technology. By tapping on artificial intelligence, Q&L is giving visitors a peek into its Library

01:17of the Future, where AI can give you book recommendations and even help you write your own novel.

01:24We also have the 360 virtual tour, which gives the visitors the opportunity to wander inside Q&L

01:33and check out all of our facilities and services inside the building itself. In addition to that,

01:38we have also the AI book recommendation tool, which gives the visitors the opportunity to explore

01:44book recommendations recommended by the AI itself. Walking around the pavilion, the theme comes to life,

01:51where it's not just about books, but also encouraging people to get their creative juices flowing,

01:57like the short story dispenser. It was done under an initiative called Write to Inspire,

02:03and we have opened this initiative to everyone in Qatar to submit their short stories. And we have

02:09supported many writers who are at the beginning of their journey to either publish their stories in Arabic

02:14and English. Q&L's long-running participation at the Doha Book Fair is one the library hopes to be a

02:21lasting relationship that can also bring new connections in the community. What makes Q&L special

02:27is that it's a public library, a national library, and a research library. What the Doha Book Fair brings to us

02:33is the visitors, and we get the chance to know about our audience more, get to know what do they like

02:39to read, what kind of activities they'd like to associate and engage with. Another long-running

02:44national reading campaign is Qatar Reads, aimed at encouraging parents to instill the love for books

02:50in their children. Every year at the Doha International Book Fair at the Qatar Reads Pavilion,

02:56we always try to encourage parents to subscribe their children in our family reading program,

03:00which is targeted at kids ages 3 to 13, where we deliver specifically curated reading packages to

03:07their homes according to their age group and their language preference. A big emphasis in the campaign

03:12is nurturing bilingualism amongst the local population. To do that, Qatar Reads launched an

03:19initiative focused on Arabic literary classics. In order for us to preserve the Qatari culture and focus

03:26on the importance of getting to know Arabic literature titles, we do this a lot through

03:30the One Book One Doha campaign. And whether it's in Arabic or English, it's important for us to

03:35highlight that these titles actually originated from the Arabic language. For example, our title in

03:402023 was Hay bin Yaqdan. Some people would know it as Tarzan or Mowkli, but they don't know that

03:46it's an original text that was written 100 years ago and it originates from the character of Hay bin Yaqdan.

03:50So it's these tiny little facts that we want to plant as seeds into the minds of our children.

03:55In just six years, Qatar Reads has managed to gain quite a following, both in Qatar and abroad,

04:02through partnerships with other organizations like Qatar Museums. And the hope is that it will

04:07continue to spread knowledge that transcends borders. It makes my heart so happy to see our growth

04:13happening every year. And what's even better is that our impact is not only in Qatar, but it's also

04:18happening internationally with our partnerships with Years of Culture. We've seen our books go

04:23to Indonesia, go to the United States, go to Morocco, and this year going to Argentina.

04:31From exploring creativity through stories to shaping future-empowered leaders, Qatar is also committed

04:38to making education accessible to all children, no matter where they are. To date, the Qatar Fund

04:45for Development has supported more than 1,000 students globally through the Qatar Scholarships

04:50Programme. I caught up with Mariam Mubarak-Aldarwish, the Development Project Engineer, who explains

04:57the importance of investing in young talent.

05:02Can you tell us more about the Qatar Scholarships Programme and what it aims to achieve?

05:07The Qatar Scholarship Programme led by Qatar Fund for Development offers fully funded

05:12higher education opportunities to talented students from underserved and conflict-affected communities.

05:19Its goal is to give those students access to quality education, help them build the skills

05:25they needed to succeed, and empower them to contribute meaningfully to the community.

05:30The programme supports both academic excellence and personal growth, equipping the students to make

05:37a lasting impact at home and beyond. There was a recent batch of graduates from that scholarship

05:43programme, more than 100 young, talented individuals. What are some impressive profiles or achievements

05:49from that batch of graduates? One story that stands out is about the students who got the chance

05:56to meet former US President Barack Obama after joining a leadership programme. For these students who comes

06:03from a background trip by hardship and conflict, it was more than just a proud moment. It was a powerful

06:09reminder of how far determination and access to education can take someone. What's made it special?

06:16It wasn't just the recognition itself, but the journey that led there. Moments like this truly shows what

06:22Qatar Scholarships Programme is all about. Opening doors and helping young people believe in what's possible.

06:29One of the biggest challenges in the world at the moment is ensuring children in conflict zones still

06:34get access to learning. How is QFFD helping in this aspect and also to advocate for more organisations

06:42in the world to protect these children who are in the middle of conflict and war?

06:47This is really at the core of what we do at QFFD. In places affected by war and displacement,

06:55we support mobile schools, remote learning tools and spaces where children can continue their

07:02education, even in the most difficult conditions. We believe schools should be a safe place for

07:09learning, not places of danger. No child should have to risk their life just to get an education. That's

07:16the message we want to share through our partnership, our platform and everything we do globally.

07:23Education must be protected always.

07:29The annual celebration of literature at the Doha International Book Fair brings global

07:34perspectives to Qatar. It features more than 500 publishing houses along with many international

07:40bookstores. Adol Halim met with some of those exhibitors visiting Qatar from both near and far.

07:48Reflecting the fair's growing international appeal,

07:51the Doha International Book Fair has become an annual tradition for the French Institute in Qatar.

07:58We have a big number of French community, so just we want to make sure that they can find some

08:04resources. And for those who don't know the French culture, they can also come to the Institute to

08:12discover the language also. We just want to keep this relation with the French language and culture,

08:19and to meet other cultures maybe also.

08:25This year the Palestinian Pavilion is the guest of honor, introducing 11 Palestinian publishers to the

08:31Qatari audience.

08:34visitors could learn more about the country's culture and history with displays of traditional

08:40clothing, a timeline of historical events, and cultural symbols.

08:45visitors could learn more about the country's culture and history with displays of traditional clothing,

08:55a timeline of historical events, and cultural symbols.

08:58its light of such as the Muslim culture and color.

09:01and the kind of thing has changed over the country's culture of the world.

09:04Something new this year is the Al-Halbouni market that features 15 libraries from the famous

09:34Al-Halbouni Street in Syria, known for its extensive collection of rare and historical

09:39books. For many of the vendors here, these libraries represent some of the most important

09:44and prestigious institutions in the Arab world. Unique manuscripts, classic literature,

09:50and historical works that could be found in one of Damascus' oldest markets are on display

09:56in Doha. Jamal Muhammad Nassif opened his bookstore in Syria more than a half century ago.

10:04Nassif is hopeful that despite a lengthy civil war, there are better days on the horizon.

10:11For his homeland.

10:12Nassif is hopeful that despite a lengthy civil war, there are better days on the horizon

10:18for his homeland.

10:19Nassif is hopeful that despite a lengthy civil war, there are better days on the horizon

10:26for his homeland.

10:28Nassif is hopeful that despite a lengthy civil war, there are better days on the horizon

10:35for his homeland.

10:37Nassif is hopeful that despite a few years of the

11:06problems.

11:07J'ai eu l'idée de faire ce livre quand ma fille était petite et que je lui lisais

11:10des histoires quand elle était bébé.

11:12Voilà.

11:13J'ai voulu créer un livre en forme de triangle parce que je trouvais que ça serait intéressant

11:18de voir comment un autre pliage se déroule.

11:21Et ça marche assez bien quand on lit parce qu'en général, ils se mettent tous à crier le

11:26nom des animaux et ça devient très joyeux.

11:28Et c'est ce que je cherche en faisant des livres avec les enfants.

11:31C'est de créer des moments de joie et de partage ludiques avec eux.

11:36Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada

11:41pour voir comment cultural exchanges can be a powerful tool for education.

11:45J'espère que vous avez apprécié cette vidéo.

11:46Mais c'est tout le temps que nous avons pour maintenant.

11:48Pour plus, check out Euronews.com et connect avec nous

11:51through our hashtag.

11:52Merci d'avoir regardé cette vidéo !

11:54à la prochaine fois sur Tata 365.

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