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Qatar’s $1.76 billion education push includes 22 schools and 2 major 3D-printing projects
The PPP program included two projects described as the world's largest schools to be built using 3D-printing technology.
Qatar is expanding investment in education infrastructure, skills development, and access to learning, including through a $1.76 billion public-private partnership (PPP) program to develop 22 schools, Minister of Education and Higher Education HE Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater has said.
Speaking during a high-level panel discussion titled “Investing in Skills, Talent and Entrepreneurship” at the World Investment Forum 2026, hosted by Qatar for the second time following its inaugural edition in the country in 2012, Al Khater described investment in human capital as essential to national development and long-term prosperity.
“The most important investment any country can make is in its people,” she said, highlighting human development, creativity and innovation as key drivers of sustainable growth.
“We do not accept that circumstances should define the limits of any child’s educational journey,” Al Khater added, emphasizing the importance of ensuring access to education regardless of a child’s circumstances.
The minister said investment in education must extend beyond physical infrastructure and financial resources to include the development of human capabilities and the equipping of individuals with the skills needed to contribute to economic and social progress.
The PPP program included two projects described as the world’s largest schools to be built using 3D-printing technology.
Al Khater also highlighted agreements signed with private-sector partners to establish four new private schools, expected to create approximately 5,000 additional student places. The schools’ investment and operating expenditure are estimated at $406 million over 25 years.
The ministry is also expanding its Community Responsibility Program, which provides free or reduced-fee school places to Qatari students and children from low-income families.
The initiative has grown from 40 available places to more than 18,000, according to Al Khater. Contributions from program partners are expected to exceed $549 million over the next decade.
Addressing the implications of rapid technological advances and artificial intelligence for the global economy, Al Khater said education could no longer be viewed as a process that ends with graduation. Lifelong learning and continuous skills development, she argued, are increasingly important as labor market demands evolve and new employment opportunities emerge.
She described investment in future skills as both an economic necessity and a strategic priority, highlighting public-private partnerships as key to expanding educational access, developing talent and strengthening economic competitiveness.
