The Shura Council State of Qatar

 The Shura Council convened Monday at its headquarters, chaired by HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

Attending the session were several representatives from family-related organizations and centers, alongside a variety of opinion writers and individuals interested in social and educational affairs.

At the outset of the session, the Council praised the success of the Second World Summit for Social Development hosted by the nation last week, emphasizing that this success clearly manifests the keenness of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to deepen the nation's standing in support of global dialogue and promote comprehensive development.

The council welcomed the Doha Declaration issued by the summit, asserting that it represents a core pillar for bolstering social development pathways and realizing sustainable development across a variety of communities.

It further appreciated the terrific organization, along with the constructive outcomes, which underscored the criticality of investing in humans as the lynchpin of development and its aims.

The council pointed out that hosting this global event embodies Qatar's foremost attention to consolidating the human dimension of development and supporting global efforts to achieve a more just and enduring future.

Thereafter, HE Secretary-General of the council, Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud, read out the agenda, with the Council endorsing the minutes of the previous session and weighing in on the public deliberation request submitted by a handful of Excellencies regarding the significance of parents in upbringing.

HE Al Ghanim noted the comprehensive and rapid advancement the nation is witnessing in multiple fields under the prudent leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. He asserted that this development pathway aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030, which places humans at the center of development and its objectives.

This burgeoning development demonstrates His Highness's commitment to nurturing individuals who are capable of adapting to change and openness to the world, while simultaneously upholding their values and enduring national identity, His Excellency noted.

This massive advancement, though offering promising opportunities, reciprocally imposes a greater responsibility on parents in undertaking their direct educational roles, which have a profound impact on the upbringing of generations, enhancing their national and moral awareness, in addition to deepening tenets that shield the community from negativity and dependency while instilling a spirit of initiative, responsibility, and belonging, Al Ghanim underlined.

Al Ghanim further echoed what had been confirmed in HH the Amir's speech inaugurating the first session of the second legislative term of the Shura Council, when he stressed that the nation is entering a new phase in terms of economic scale and strategic role, emphasizing that the demands of this development require elevating the citizen’s role and cultivating their awareness of responsibilities.

This sublime vision suggests that the family is the prime host of human development, and parents undertake the foremost role in raising a generation that is aware of its duties, upholding identity and receptive to contemporary knowledge with enduring values and a balanced spirit, he clarified.

Al Ghanim stressed that the home is the host of conscious and advanced humans, where character is shaped and tenets are deepened. He reminded attendees of what is stated in the nation's constitution, Article 2: the family is the bedrock of the community, and the nation is vested with the responsibility of protecting it and providing the appropriate environment for the growth of its members' capabilities to serve the homeland and society.

In this regard, the members affirmed that it is imperative to bolster the parents' role in upbringing, noting that the upsurge in the number of domestic caregivers has directly impacted the educational process and the integrity of children's mental and behavioral development.

They stressed the importance of community awareness of familial upbringing and urged parents to undertake their direct role in providing a healthy and stable environment for their sons and daughters, underscoring that the family is the cornerstone of community building, and that a tight-knit society positively impacts stability and prosperity.

Furthermore, members of the council noted that while technological advances provide entertaining means, they have also contributed to altering some social patterns in the family, with children spending prolonged time using smart devices at the expense of direct familial communication, a matter that requires rationalization of this use and enhanced positive supervision to ensure balanced upbringing and safeguarding of enduring social tenets.

The members addressed the tenuous communication between parents and their sons and daughters and the slowdown in transferring social and religious values, stressing that preserving these values is an immense challenge given the comforts of modern life.

Achieving balance between modern life and national identity requirements necessitates collaboration between family, school, and media to deepen concepts of responsibility, belonging, and loyalty, the members outlined.

In addition, the members highlighted that discussing familial upbringing in the context of societal evolution holds special significance, whether in terms of modern life patterns, changes in familial values, or the use of technology in daily life.

They pointed out that the family remains the core pillar of raising humans capable of contributing to the advancement of their homeland.

They stressed the importance of launching national awareness campaigns on the family’s role in social upbringing, utilizing educational curricula that focus on religious and national values, engaging parents in this process, and incorporating lessons that promote self-dependence and key life skills from early childhood.

The members further called for crafting regulatory policies that maintain balance between reliance on domestic caregivers and the effective role of Qatari families, emphasizing potential risks arising from the absence of direct care and the imperative of enabling mothers to perform their key role in upbringing and oversight to ensure a wholesome and secure environment.

The role of state institutions is significant in implementing policies that support this direction through organizing training programs via relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Social Development and Family, to qualify mothers and impart skills and expertise to the next generations, the members suggested.

They noted the importance of reducing the high numbers of domestic caregivers and establishing regulations for recruiting them, emphasizing the media's pivotal role in enhancing community awareness and familial values.

The members called for operationalizing the role of media and social media practitioners to spotlight the family’s significant role in upbringing, ensuring parents never abandon their crucial responsibilities to domestic caregivers and workers.

A whole-of-government approach, with the engagement of civil society institutions, is necessary to unify vision and joint action in this area, to achieve the intended goal of building a rock-solid Qatari family capable of preparing a well-aware generation that upholds its values and identity and contributes to advancing the nation, the members stressed.

Having thoroughly discussed this matter, the members underscored the importance of boosting parents' role in undertaking their educational responsibilities and addressing challenges that could potentially inhibit this critical role in upbringing.

Accordingly, the Council decided to refer the public discussion request to the Social Affairs, Labour and Housing Committee for further pursuit and submission of its report to the legislature.