Dr. Fella Lahmar, an academic with nearly 30 years of experience in British education, has played a pivotal role in developing Qatar’s educational landscape through her work at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). At HBKU’s School of Education, she has helped design graduate programmes that integrate international educational research with Qatar’s national goals and cultural heritage.
Transitioning from the UK to Qatar marked a significant shift in Dr. Lahmar’s academic career. Her research focuses on comparative education, Islamic education, decolonisation, and inclusive learning, emphasizing how societies can benefit from global knowledge while maintaining confidence in their own traditions and values. In her perspective, contrasting the British and Qatari education systems reveals notable differences and opportunities for mutual learning.
The British system, she explained, is characterized by rigorous quality assurance, peer review, and professional recognition of university teaching. However, since the introduction of tuition fees in England in 1998, higher education increasingly functions as a private investment rather than a public good. Rising fees, reduced financial aid for disadvantaged students, and the pressure to compete for income have influenced both universities and schools. In this environment, teaching risks narrowing to what is measurable, often sidelining broader educational goals.
In contrast, Qatar treats education as a public responsibility, offering free government schooling and university education for Qatari citizens alongside scholarships for study at various institutions. Dr. Lahmar highlighted how the two systems can learn from each other: Qatar could benefit from Britain’s tradition of academic scrutiny and professional development, while the UK might reconsider its approach to public investment and access.
Dr. Lahmar also reflected on her personal experience adapting to Qatar’s cultural environment. Having grown up with Arab cultural values such as respect for elders and family centrality, she found a strong sense of belonging and safety in Doha that she had not always experienced in the UK. This cultural alignment has influenced her scholarly outlook, noting how issues of Islamic education and decolonization, previously minority concerns in Britain, are now central to Qatar’s educational development and societal renewal.
Central to her philosophy of education is the concept of compassion, or rahma, which she describes as essential to effective teaching and societal growth. She cautions against education systems overly focused on rankings, audits, and measurable outcomes at the expense of ethics, creativity, and practical wisdom. Drawing on Islamic traditions and the example of the historian Ibn Khaldun, she stresses the importance of education as a relational and intergenerational process grounded in cultural heritage, including poetry, oral storytelling, and arts.
At HBKU, the School of Education adopts a comparative, research-driven approach aligned with Qatar’s intellectual heritage. Its location in Education City facilitates collaboration with Qatar Foundation schools, international universities, and research centres. The school aims to balance local identity with international academic standards, preparing educators who can engage globally without losing their cultural reference points.
Dr. Lahmar outlined five key educational priorities for Qatar’s future: transforming knowledge into practical solutions and institutional development; investing in teacher preparation and professional growth; fostering a balance between cultural rootedness and openness to global ideas; promoting character development, compassion, and inclusion; and cultivating critical thinking skills to navigate misinformation, including challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
She emphasized that Qatar’s strength lies in connecting resources within the Qatar Foundation ecosystem. This proximity of educational, research, and professional institutions enables collaboration that can help translate research findings directly into classroom practice. For teachers, this network provides unparalleled opportunities for engagement with international scholarship and ongoing development.
Ultimately, Dr. Lahmar envisions Qatar’s educational ecosystem as a dynamic, integrated environment that transforms substantial investments into human capability, ethical leadership, and intellectual confidence. By fostering educators who are firmly rooted in their heritage yet open to diverse ideas, compassionate toward learners, and capable of turning knowledge into meaningful change, Qatar aims to cultivate generations that will contribute original ideas and solutions to the global community.