Doha, March 30 (QNA) - Director of the Scholarship Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) Noura Mohammed Al Ansari confirmed that the ministry is working on developing its future plans to expand the list of strategic specializations within the government scholarship program, in line with the requirements of national development and the needs of the labor market in the country.

In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Ansari explained that the process of updating specializations is carried out according to a precise methodology based on studying the needs of the state in the public and private sectors, in coordination with the concerned authorities, to ensure that the outputs of scholarships are aligned with national priorities. She referred to MOEHE's keenness to include specialized fields that meet the growing demand in vital areas, and contribute to supplying the labor market with qualified national talents capable of supporting the comprehensive development process.

She added that the plans to expand into strategic specializations come within the framework of the trend towards investing in human capital and enhancing the competitiveness of national cadres, in line with the rapid developments at the regional and international levels. Al Ansari affirmed that MOEHE continues to review its programs periodically to ensure responsiveness to future changes, in order to achieve the state’s vision of building a knowledge-based economy.

The Director of the Scholarship Department indicated that the list of specializations is subject to periodic review and annual update based on actual needs, where vacancies are allocated to priority specializations, in contrast to excluding specializations in which sufficiency has been achieved. She pointed out that this process is carried out in direct coordination with the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau regarding the government sector, and with the Ministry of Labor to determine the requirements of the private sector. Afterward the 'scholarship ending with employment' plan is prepared.

Regarding the inclusion of the Clinical Psychology specialization in the scholarship plan, Al Ansari explained that its inclusion for the 2026/2027 academic year came as a result of the urgent need for this specialization. It will be offered as part of the external scholarship program, and students are invited to seek acceptance from accredited universities abroad in preparation for their training in this vital field.

She also confirmed that the inclusion of the Nuclear Engineering specialization came as a result of an extensive study of the needs of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, which prompted the launch of a national initiative to send Qatari students to study in this field. Al Ansari pointed out that the MOEHE is working to promote this specialization through approved incentives that encourage students to enroll in it, in line with the goals of the higher education sector to supply employers with quality competencies and address the reluctance towards specialized fields.

Regarding the monitoring of scholarship students in light of the current international circumstances, Al Ansari confirmed that MOEHE is monitoring the conditions of approximately 5,000 students in local and foreign scholarship programs through multiple communication channels and a 24-hour hotline, stressing the stability of the general conditions of scholarship students and their commitment to completing their studies in coordination with the cultural attachés.

The Director of the Scholarship Department explained that MOEHE has taken proactive measures to deal with some limited challenges, such as activating remote learning for students who faced obstacles in attending field lectures, and the number of scholarship recipients present inside the country is being monitored to ensure their safe return to their mission headquarters.

Concluding her remarks to QNA, Al Ansari emphasized that the selection of specializations is done according to institutional mechanisms based on identifying needs through strategic partners to ensure the preparation of an annual plan that guarantees efficient employment and keeps pace with the aspirations of Qatar National Vision 2030. (QNA)