“I call on young men to pursue a career in teaching”: QF teacher

Throughout human history, teaching has been widely regarded as one of the most significant professions, with educators responsible for shaping the minds of future generations. And this is exactly what Qatar Leadership teacher Ahmed A. Al-Shammari – winner of the Education Excellence Award – firmly believes in.

“Teaching is a noble and respectable profession, and has been since ancient times, with teachers having pivotal role in building societies,” he says. “All professionals, from doctors to engineers and lawyers, were educated by teachers.”

And although an important profession, nowadays, according to Al-Shammari, who has been teaching at Qatar Leadership Academy (QLA) – part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre-University Education – since 2013, there is a general reluctance among young Qatari men to pursue teaching as a profession.

But Al-Shammari, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Qatar University as well as a Master's degree in Educational Administration from Jadara University, Jordan, is eager inspire the next generation of educators. And now as the winner of the Distinguished Teacher Award, for preparatory level, part of the Education Excellence Award, his ambition to serve as a role model is even stronger. “I call on young people to pursue a career in teaching,” he says.

Al-Shammari explains that it is through being part of the QF learning ecosystem that winning an award this year was possible, saying: “It is a great honor for me to win this award. But what really enabled me to accomplish this was the support I received from Qatar Foundation and the Pre-University Education family – especially Jamil Al-Shammari, Director of QLA, who encouraged me to apply for this award, and all my colleagues.”

Speaking about the support he received from QF, Al-Shammari says: “Qatar Foundation is the right place for anyone looking for development opportunities. Each initiative that I thought of was adopted and welcomed by everyone through all levels at the organization.

“It is a place that values community service, supports initiatives and creative thinking, and welcomes new ideas. The development opportunities that QF has offered me over the years has helped me develop professionally.”

As a teacher of Qatari history and heritage, Al-Shammari also praised QF’s efforts to preserve and promote local culture and heritage among young people. Since its establishment in 2005, QLA has offered a curriculum steeped in history and traditions, which, since then, has been rolled out to other QF schools.

“Qatar pays a lot of attention to preserving its culture, and this is clear through many of the activities and initiatives organized across the country, such as camel and horse races, which help to promote the local heritage among young people.

“I have witnessed a great deal of interest from the younger generation today in upholding their heritage – young people who are proud of their history and their culture.”

Alongside Al-Shammari, nine students from schools across QF have been named winners in this year’s Education Excellence Award.