The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Interior (MoI), represented by the Department of Penal and Correctional Institutions, regarding the admission of inmates in higher education at CCQ. The agreement was signed by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Naemi, President of the Community College of Qatar and Brig. General Mohammad Saud Al-Otaibi, Director of the Department of Penal and Correctional Institutions.

Under this agreement, inmates of penal institutions will have an opportunity to complete their academic education to obtain an associate degree and a bachelor's degree at CCQ through flexible learning methods to acquire skills and abilities and qualify scientifically at the university level. The agreement will also help them in overcoming the challenges they face, making best use of their imprisonment period, integrating into the educational environment, finding job opportunities after their release and staying connected to the labor market.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Naemi stressed the importance of this agreement in enabling the inmates to complete their higher education by creating a supportive educational environment for them to overcome their circumstances, rehabilitate and integrate into the educational environment. He added: “Through this cooperation, we will strive to create suitable career opportunities for the inmates after their release to enable them to fulfill their aspirations and contribute to achieving the desired development of the Qatari society.” Dr. Al-Naemi pointed out that the first batch of students who are eligible to join CCQ will be received starting from the Fall semester 2022, after completing the relevant approvals and procedures.

For his part, Brig. General Mohammad Saud Al-Otaibi said that the agreement would have a significant impact on the rehabilitation of inmates in a way that benefits them and contributes to changing their behaviour. He explained that this partnership came within the framework of the keenness of educational institutions to take care of inmates so that they could return to society and benefit from their period of imprisonment, especially that the goals that has been achieved pushes everyone to exert more effort in order to reform and rehabilitate the inmates.