Citi backs Qatar school program.

Byline: Doha

Citi Foundation, Citi's social investment arm, has announced a $25,000 grant to Injaz Qatar, an affiliate of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, to help the localisation and adaptation of Personal Economics program at three public schools in Qatar.

The grant will enable the delivery of the new version of the Personal Economics program to 250 students during the 2009-2010 academic year at Ruqaya Independent Preparatory School for Girls, Wakra Independent Preparatory School for Girls and Omar Bin Khattab Independent Preparatory School for Boys.

In the Middle East, Injaz Al-Arab, JA's regional arm, has trained 300,000 Arab students with the help of 10,000 corporate volunteers and partnerships with ministries of education since its inception in 1999.

The program will help students identify their skills and interests and discuss career options, while also learning basic financial and economic skills such as budgeting, financial management, the wise use of credit and the functioning of the stock market.

The program has been offered by Junior Achievement chapters in several Arab countries for the past few years and has gained much popularity among target students as it is delivered by private sector volunteers and is based on participatory techniques including group work, brainstorming and role plays allowing students to learn in a creative and stimulating environment.

The three independent schools are at the heart of the educational reform initiative taking place in Qatar since 2002 under the umbrella of the Supreme Education Council, and represent the new generation of public schools.

Farhan Mahmood, CEO of Citi Qatar, said, "Citi supports Junior Achievement in many countries around the world. Our latest contribution reflects our strong support for Injaz Qatar's youth training initiatives."

"This falls within our objective of building the skill sets of the next generation and in preparing them to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive job market," he added.

Haneez Zattam Amr, executive director of Injaz Qatar, said Injaz aims at building strategic partnership with local and multinational businesses in order to help promote the national goal of improving the skill level of Qatari students.

"Thanks to Citi's support, we will be able to take part in shaping the new academic methods at public schools and reach our goal of empowering Qatari youth," he added.

Citi is a global partner with JA Worldwide which provides hands-on, experiential learning in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness to 8.3 million students annually. Across the world, JA has 384,925 volunteers teaching 367,305 classes to 9,326,748 students a year.- TradeArabia News Service

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