Education City: A Tool for Qatar’s Growing Global Prominence

Education City: A Tool for Qatar’s Growing Global ProminenceBy: Naziha Niazi

Doha, Qatar

What is Education City? • Project funded by the Qatar Foundation

• Made up of international branch campuses, research centers, and educational centers

• Six American University Branch campuses:

• Weill Cornell Medical Center in Qatar

• Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

• Texas A&M University at Qatar

• Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar

• Northwestern University in Qatar

• Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar

Carnegie Mellon

Georgetown

Texas A &M

Georgetown University

Carnegie Mellon University

Why?• “[our mission is] to prepare the people of Qatar and the region to

meet the challenges of an ever-changing world…a nation’s greatest natural resource is its people” (Mission Statement, Qatar Foundation)

• Developing a knowledge-based economy; a type of economy where the ability to access and spread information can help the country become ‘information rich’ and use that knowledge to develop itself economically.

• Not relying too much on oil revenues or foreign labor

Research Questions

• How much of Qatar’s investment into higher education is for the development of its citizens?

• What are the underlying motivations behind the creation of Education City?

• Is Qatar’s current situation in the world influencing its relations with the West?

Thesis• Although Qatar claims Education City is being used as a tool to help

boost human capital, in practice it is being used to help Qatar gain legitimacy in the eyes of the West and bridge the gap between the West and the Middle East.

• Focus:

• Country-wide

• Global endeavors

• Reliance on expat labor

Higher Education Specific

• Commodification of Western education model

• Forming relations with the West

• Compromising values

Global Endeavors -Shirt deal with FC Barcelona, one of the most popular teams in the world-Example of Qatar’s wish to gain global recognition-Connection with Qatar Foundation’s investment into foreign branch campuses for legitimacy

Global Endeavors

“Thank you for believing in change and believing in expanding the game and thank you for giving Qatar a chance. We will not let you down. We will make your proud”

-Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, chairman for Qatar’s bid to FIFA

Expat Labor • Foreigners who are not Qatari citizens make up the

majority of the country as well as the labor force

• Difficult to become a citizen

• Lack of Qatari citizens and slow growth rate, despite the country’s goals to develop “human capital”

• Showcases how Education City is not for the purpose of human capital development

Expat Labor

The “human capital” of Qatari citizens does not appear to be a priority as non-Qatari citizens are growing at a faster rate and make up most of the population even after the formation of Education City

Expat Labor

Domination of non-Qatari citizens in the workforce as well as all fields except public administration.

Western Education Model

• Comparison of Qatari universities to Western ones

• Reverence of Western education model

• Belief in the power of Western education

Bridging the GapDescriptions of Qatar on the websites of the branch campuses:

Qatar “lies at the cross-roads of the East and West”“Qatar topped the Middle East and North African (MENA) region in Global Peace Index (GPI) 2012 report”

-Georgetown University in Qatar

Qatar is a “liberal, hospitable, and progressive country”-VCU Qatar

Qatar is “one of the Middle East’s most sophisticated and cosmopolitan destinations”

-Carnegie Mellon in Qatar

Bridging the Gap• VCU Qatar Day

Legitimacy and Compromise

• Inclusion of a curriculum which differs from general Qatari values

• Attempts to find a “middle ground”

• Double standards seen between ‘safe’ zone in school versus country as a whole

Conclusion• Qatar claims Education City is being used as a tool to help boost

human capital, however in practice it is being used to help Qatar gain legitimacy in the eyes of the West and bridge the gap between the West and the Middle East.