Germany to help Qatar improve education system

DOHA – Germany has announced plans to work with Qatar to improve the country’s education system.

German ambassador in Doha, Anne Ruth Herkes, said that new areas of cooperation will centre on higher education. “We will be focusing on research activities, mainly within the sector of alternative energy. Our attention will also be aimed at design, engineering and infrastructure.”

As a result of growing bilateral trade relations, a large number of Germans moved to Doha and currently work on a rail project to improve the country’s infrastructure.

Herkes said that the German rail company (Deutsche Bahn) undertaking the metro rail project in Qatar, will build 108 metro stations, which is roughly equivalent to half the metro rail stations in Greater London.

In November 2009, Deutsche Bahn signed a $25 billion contract to build rail and underground lines in Qatar.

While the metro rail section is expected to cover a total distance of 354km, with trains running at speeds of 80 to 160km/h, the underground network will cover 345km across the entire country, with electric trains running at between 220 and 350km/h.

The German contribution to Qatar’s development will grow substantially in coming years, Herkes said. “The presence of around 1,750 Germans in Qatar right now represents a steep jump in their numbers, as compared to just a few hundred of them a few years ago.”