JEDDAH: The Qatari emir’s wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, who is also the chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, visited Effat University in Jeddah on Tuesday to discuss the status of Gulf women and their education.

The main objective of Sheikha Mozah’s appearance at the private women’s university was to host an open discussion with university students about the importance of women’s education and how to boost cooperation between Gulf countries toward improving their communities and women’s leadership.

Students from Jeddah-based universities including Effat, King Abdulaziz, Dar Al-Hekma and Ibn Sina asked Sheikha Mozah a variety of questions concerning higher education and women’s conditions in the Gulf.

“There are similarities between education in Qatar and the Kingdom, especially with the emergence of research science. It has slowly become part of general culture and now it’s a major deal to develop study programs,” she said.

One student asked the reason behind Qatar’s recent boost in almost every sector and her opinion of how the Kingdom could reach the same level of development.

“The first reason of this success was the government’s faith in the importance of developing education. This faith helped with making quick agreements benefiting education,” she said. “We believe that education is the key to society’s advancement.” With regard to supporting small social entrepreneurship programs Sheikha Mozah said: “We support these programs not only in Qatar, but outside our boundaries to create more job opportunities.”

Before the event started, Effat University’s chair of the board of trustees Princess Lulua Al-Faisal, who is also the university’s general supervisor, held a press conference and declared that the opportunities offered to Saudis of both genders are wide and promising this time. 

She also said that the illiteracy percentage in the Kingdom is dropping, adding that according to UNESCO, Saudi Arabia is probably the only country that will meet its millennium goals.

Sheikha Mozah also met with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah two days ago to discuss cooperation in the field of education and community development between the Kingdom and Qatar.