Report: Education Plays Growing Role in National Economic Development

Doha, March 18 (QNA) - The Ministry of Economy and Commerce on Saturday announced the results of its analytical report on the evolution of the education sector's economic role, stressing its importance in the economic development process especially in supplying highly-qualified workforce which would enhance the competitiveness of the national economy. The report pointed out that the remarkable economic boom witnessed by the Qatari economy in recent years, coupled with a steady rise in the number of population, have urged an increase in the education sector's absorptive capacity to meet the growing demand for these services. School education, which is a pivotal pillar in this sector, has witnessed between 2010 and 2014 the establishment of some 243 new schools, kindergarten schools alone accounted for two-thirds of them, followed by primary schools (about 18%) and middle and high schools (about 9% and 7%) respectively, the report shows. This development came to accommodate the growing increase in the number of students from about 197.000 students in 2010 to about 268.000 students in 2015, marking about 36% of growth. A large number of students were accommodated in private schools, which alone have received 84% of the new students in various stages of education, accounting for about 80 % of the total number of new schools established between 2010 and 2015, which confirms the growing role of the private sector in the education sector, it added. The report also pointed out that there is an increase in percentage of students enrolled in universities in Qatar constituting an increase of about 83.7% between 2010 (15,300 students) to 2014 (28,100 students). The public universities have alone accommodated 88.9 % of the net number of new students. The report pointed out that, based on these developments, nominal GDP of the education sector and its different components rose by about 12.1% on average annually during the past five years (2011-2015). This rate exceeds the nominal GDP growth of the economy as a whole, increasing its contribution in nominal GDP to around 1.8% in 2015 compared to 1.1% in 2011. Gross national product (GNP) also grew at a relatively high pace of around 8.5% on average per year, realizing a rise in its contribution from about 1.1% in 2011 to about 1.3% in 2015. The total revenue of the private education sector rose from about QAR 2 billion in 2011 to about QAR 5.8 billion in 2015. The growing role of the education sector was embodied through its contribution to the employment, where the total number of employees in this sector has almost doubled from 26,900 employees in 2011 to about 50,600 employees in 2015. As the second largest sectorial activity which attracts Qatari employees, the education sector absorbed in 2015 about 12 % of the total number of Qatari employees, the report shows. The Ministry of Economy and Commerce highlighted the most promising prospects offered by school and university education sector, calling for the promotion of investment in these two sectors amid exceptions of growing demand over the next five years. (QNA)