DOHA TODAY06 MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2020

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SACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Making use of the latest tech-nology, banks in Qatar are prodding residents to go digital. Banks have rolled out innovative products and services that are encouraging customers to use digital channels to complete their banking transactions.

Banks have introduced new features in ATMs, credit and debit cards and their mobile applica-tions which have enabled cus-tomers to do banking transactions from their home.

Although almost all the banks in Qatar were swift in adopting the latest technology, COVID-19 out-break accelerated the pace of launch of technology-based banking solutions.

“The role of technology in the banking sector is set to increase in coming days. Adoption of tech-nology is a win-win situation which not only benefits the banks but also the customers. For banks, the technology reduces operation

cost, whereas for customers it pro-vides ease of doing banking because they can do banking from their home and at any time,” a senior banking official told The Peninsula.

Digital banking has also played a supporting role in limiting the spread of COVID-19 as customers now prefer to do banking transac-tions from their home, instead of going to a bank branch.

“Before COVID-19 outbreak, I

used to go to a bank branch for some of my banking needs, because I was not well versed with Internet technologies. Now I am doing all my banking transactions through Internet, because it is now better to stay at home, due to COVID-19 outbreak,” a civil engineer with a construction firm told The Peninsula.

Commercial Bank has launched the Digital Cheque Deposit service, an innovation that allows customers to process Com-mercial Bank cheques via the bank’s mobile application. The bank has also launched e-Gift feature which allows customers to send cash gift to their loved ones. Customers can send an e-Gift as a transfer through its ATM network in Qatar, or as a local or international account transfer. e-Gift combines the con-venience and swiftness of elec-tronic money transfer with the personalised touch of a greeting card. The recipient is notified via SMS and email with an electronic greeting card with a personalised message. The recipient can then

withdraw the amount from any of Commercial Bank’s ATMs in Qatar.

Banks in Qatar have rolled out contactless cards that have removed the need for pressing the Personal Identification Number (PIN) at the retail outlets. Con-tactless cards allow customers to pay by simply tapping the card on the Point of Sale (PoS) machines or ATMs. Contactless transactions are as safe as traditional card payment transactions. Each trans-action uses state-of-the-art security to generate a random ver-ification code that cannot be counterfeited. It also provides more control, since the card does not leave customer’s hand to be swiped by the merchant.

Every time a customer per-forms a contactless transaction he gets informed immediately via SMS alerts. This way, he knows all the time the transactions that were performed using cards. The ease of using these cards is prompting residents to go for cashless transactions.

QNB has given more reason to its customers to use its contactless

Exhibition highlights unseen stories during COVID-19THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Foundation partner university Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) in Education City is hosting an exhibition which takes an in-depth look at unseen stories during the ongoing global pandemic through paintings, photography, poetry, design objects, video and digital art.

The “Good Vibes Only” exhibition brings together works from the University’s students, faculty, staff and alumni from diverse fields such as graphic design, fashion design, painting and printmaking, art history, and interior design, to name but a few.

The collective endeavor engages a vibrant community of practitioners and shows how the artists and designers reflect on isolation, dreams, and mental escape through personal narratives.

“Good Vibes Only” features works by Aisha Al Abdulla, Arhama Amjad, Chris Buchakjian, Elizabeth Ju, Ghaida Azzam, Gul Thakur, Haya Al Hetmi, Jesse Payne, Izza Alyssa, Leticia Aguirre, Luma Mansi, Madjulin Nasrallah, Maha Nasr, Marsya A. Abdulghani, Maryam Khalil, Michael Perrone, Naima Almajdobah, Nia Alex-ander Campbell, Noora Al Henzab, Nour Elbasuni, Nour Elzayat, Patty Paine, Rab

McClure, Rabab Abdulla, Reham Mohamed, Robin Fetherston, Roshni Tarcar, Roudah Al-Sheeb, Selma Fejzullaj, Shima Aeinehdar, Stella Colaleo, Tasnim Rahima, Yeon Geong Hwang, and Yomna Eltouny.

Visits to the exhibition are by appointment

only, and can be scheduled for 30-minute time slots throughout the day by going to this link: bit.ly/337WNGE.

Visits should be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. The opening hours are Sunday to Thursday, from 10am to 4pm.

Exhibition by faculty, students, staff and alumni includes paintings, photography, poetry, design objects, video and digital art.

DPS-MIS concludes Rendezvous 2020-21 onlineTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

DPS-Modern Indian School (DPS-MIS) culmi-nated Rendezvous 2020-21 with the online ‘Result Declaration Ceremony’ on October 6.

This year, keeping the present condition in mind, the annual inter- house activity fest was conducted online during the summer break in order to provide effective avenues to the students to channel their holiday energies and maintain the learning momentum.

The occasion was graced by Principal Asna Nafees, Vice-Principal Senior Secondary School Soma Bhattacharjee, Vice-Principal Senior School Mary Cruz, Vice-Principal Junior School Shifa P Shaikh and Headmistress Junior School Sini Menon. Nafees commended the efforts of the students and the teachers in the

successful execution of the events. All the activities and ceremonies are con-

ducted with great élan as per the year planner, providing holistic development to all the enthu-siastic students. She also expressed her grat-itude towards the management for their con-tinuous support and valuable guidance.

Soma Bhattacharjee congratulated all the team members and extolled the students for their ‘enthusiasm to participate’. She also high-lighted the importance of collaborative team efforts in the successful completion of an event of such magnitude. Mary Cruz inspired the young minds with her words of wisdom and mentioned that such competitions develop life skills and prepare the students for their future endeavours.

Fourteen competitions for the Middle School and 18 competitions for the Senior

School which included events like Poetry writing, Story Writing, Poster Making, Spell Bee, Scavenger Hunt Debate, Group Dance, Digital Logo Designing, App Development, and Acapella were organized using Zoom or Microsoft Teams platforms.

Rules and regulations for the competitions were laid and shared with the students by the respective house wardens, which ensured smooth functioning of the events online.

The participants from all the four houses – Lily, Lotus, Tulip and Rose left no stone unturned to add on to the winning streak of their houses.

Tulip House emerged as the winner in the Middle School, whereas Lotus House topped the medal tally in the Senior School. However, on compilation of the results of both the sec-tions (Middle School and Senior School) Tulip House bagged the first position followed by Lotus House, Lily House and Rose House for the second, third and fourth positions respectively.

The ceremony concluded with the DPS-MIS United Rendezvous Band video. It was anchored by Arya Kanade, Head Girl and Mohak Vaswani, Head Boy under the able guidance of Bhatta-charjee, Activity Coordinator( IX to XII) Priti Ket-anbhai Modi and Activity Coordinator ( VI to VIII) Chinmayee Pathak. The vote of thanks was proposed by President of Student Council Girls Anushka Jain and President of Student Council Boys Moussab Zaz.

The cultural bonanza was a thumping success and would remain etched in mem-ories forever.DPS-Modern Indian School teachers and students during the programme.

Banking innovations prod customers to go digitalBanks have rolled out innovative products and services that are encouraging customers to use digital channels to complete their banking transactions.

cards. From June 28 to December 24 this year, every time a customer uses his QNB Mastercard Con-tactless Card, he will be eli-gible to enter daily prize draw. The more he uses card, the better will be his chances to win latest elec-tronic gadgets.

QNB is also offering 10 percent upfront discount when booking accommo-dation on Booking.com using QNB Cards. This offer is valid until December 31 for stays up to 14 months from booking date.

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) has introduced new features to its Mobile App. With the new QIB Mobile App updates, eligible Qatari customers can now postpone their Personal F i n a n c e M o n t h l y Installment through the Mobile App. This solution allows QIB eligible cus-tomers to postpone their next three months’ per-sonal finance installments and provides them with the option of adjusting the new financing to take place after the maturity of their existing finance terms.

The app also allows opening of exclusive

Certificates of Deposit for COVID-19 frontliners, filling and submitting the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), and com-pleting Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) declarations.

According to the bank’s website, the employees of the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Ahli Hos-pital, American Hospital Doha, Doha Clinic, Al Emadi Hospital, in addition to the Ministry of Interior personnel and volunteers can now request the exclusive Certificate of Deposit for COVID-19 front-liners through the QIB Mobile App.

The Certificate of Deposit is introduced to help front-liners increase their long-term savings, with a minimum amount of QR5,000 and no maximum amount. These special Certificates of Deposit offer exclusive returns allowing COVID-19 frontline employees to benefit from a higher expected profit rate.

RAYNALD C RIVERATHE PENINSULA

Strolling along the seven-kilo-metre stretch of Doha Corniche, one wouldn’t fail to notice the dozens of electric motorised scooters (e-scooters) scattered around specially near the park close to Sheraton Doha.

The e-scooters labeled “Loop” are part of a new scooter-sharing service which makes them available for short-term rentals through an app. In some countries, scooter-sharing systems have gained traction as one of the least expensive and most popular micro-mobility options.

These dockless e-scooters don’t have a fixed station and can be conveniently picked up and parked in various locations in the city. Currently, dozens of these e-scooters can mostly be found on Doha Corniche, the West Bay area and other arbitrary locations around the city, and they are fast becoming a popular alternative mode of transport as well as a new form of leisure activity for residents.

“I always make it a point to ride the Loop scooter whenever I come to the Cor-niche to take a break from a busy day at work. It is a very

enjoyable and engaging pastime specially in the company of my friends during weekends,” said Mark, one of the Corniche visitors who fre-quently rides the e-scooter.

Some people find using the e-scooters not only a fun

activity but also as an alter-native form of transport for travelling to nearby areas.

“One thing that I like about these scooters is that they are environment friendly and they are convenient to use for short-distance travels. It is very useful at the same time fun to ride when I go to the metro station from here,” said Mahmoud, a university student who was seen riding an e-scooter on the Corniche on Saturday.

To be able to use the service, one has to download the Loop app and register. Using credit card, a user can choose among three plans namely Basic which costs QR25, Advanced (QR50) and Pro (QR100). With Pro plan the

user gets a QR10 free credit. The e-scooter can be

unlocked by scanning the QR code, and R2 is charged every time a user unlocks an e-scooter. First-time users can enjoy a five-minute free ride, after which QR0.75 is charged per minute. One can earn up to 10 free unlocks by inviting friends.

Using the Loop app, one can find the location of the nearest e-scooter to ride and read the instructions on how to use the e-scooter as well as additional safety reminders and tips. The app also has a number of extra features such as indicating the distance trav-elled and the number of cal-ories burned by the rider.

THE PENINSULA - DOHA

The BMKQ (Bayanihan ng Man-ggagawa sa Konstruksyon ng Qatar) Women in Construction and Allied Sectors in Qatar, a member of Bayanihan Qatar – the federation of Filipino grass-roots organisations, recently organised their first Basic Gender Sensitivity Seminar.

Held at Holiday Inn Doha - The Business Park on Friday, the seminar was organised in collab-oration with Building Wood-workers International (BWI as part of the campaign in support of International Labour Organi-sation (ILO) Convention C190 Harassment and Violence in the World of Work.

The event is part of the series of trainings for women leaders

and members of the group. Fri-day’s seminar was the first training module on Basic Gender Sensitivity Seminar (BGSS), which was led by BMKQ Women Coor-dinator Mags Laja and supported by BMKQ President Engr. Ressie S. Fos, Lorna Ferrer, who was the resource speaker, and Prerna Prasad, South Asia Programme Officer at BWI – South Asian Project.

The seminar contributes awareness and in-depth under-standing to different genders spe-cially in the workplace and uplifts the important role women play in society.

During the event, the partic-ipants actively shared their expe-riences, insights and learnings on the subject.

07MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2020 DOHA TODAY

The e-scooters labeled “Loop” are part of a new scooter-

sharing service which makes them available for

short-term rentals through an app. In some countries,

scooter-sharing systems have gained traction as one of

the least expensive and most popular micro-mobility

options. These dockless e-scooters don’t have a fixed

station and can be conveniently picked up and parked in

various locations in the city.

HEC Paris’ new SBUM participant calls program ‘a game changer’THE PENINSULA - DOHA

A graduate of King’s College London and a former projects specialist at Qatar Airways, Maryam Alkhalaf expects HEC Paris’ Specialized Master’s to enhance her professional and personal skills.

Featuring an all-new cur-riculum, HEC Paris in Qatar will start its next Specialized Masters in Strategic Business Unit Management (SBUM) program in January 2021.

The updated SBUM degree program is designed especially for participants looking to enhance their leadership and management skills. Further, it accentuates HEC Paris’ position as the leaders in executive edu-cation, for which it was ranked #2 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2020. So it comes as little or no surprise that 26-year-old Qatari profes-sional Maryam has jumped at the opportunity of enrolling for the Specialized Masters. Maryam has a Bachelor of Arts in International Politics from King’s College London and has worked as a corporate sales projects specialist at Qatar Airways. And she knows what to expect from her stint at HEC Paris in Qatar. “Having HEC Paris in Doha is a great oppor-tunity for me to pursue my edu-cation along with my work,” said Maryam, who is currently serving as a Research Associate at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), of Qatar Foundation.

“It is important to connect my studies with my everyday work. Moreover, HEC Paris is considered to be one of the top institutions for executive

education in the world, and I feel that I will also benefit from the experience of my col-leagues over there.”

With a total work expe-rience of four years now, Maryam believes that devel-oping essential business skills is crucial and beneficial in car-rying out daily activities related to her work.

“I can apply multiple business practices to my pro-fessional requirements like designing a strategy, devel-oping leadership skills, and managing human capital and decision-making, which are essential for my career devel-opment,” said Maryam.

Commenting on her expec-tations from the SBUM program, Maryam said that she is looking forward to a solid program, which requires a lot of effort from participants to derive maximum benefits.Maryam also feels that under-taking the Specialized Masters degree will enable her to attain a senior level position at WISE.

“The SBUM program will give me the responsibility to explore different research areas, including writing and co-authoring research reports,” said Maryam. “It will also enable me to maintain regular contact with international organizations. And talking about how the program will affect her overall life, Maryam said, “I believe that if you have time-management skills, then you will be able to find the right balance between work, studies and personal life. I don’t think it will be easy, but it is doable if you prioritize your goals.” , finance, leadership, and change.

Filipino group holds inaugural gender sensitivity seminar

BMKQ Women in Construction and Allied Sectors in Qatar recently held their first Basic Gender Sensitivity Seminar.

E-scooters gain traction as new alternative transport, leisure activity

A couple of e-scooters parked along Doha Corniche. PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA/THE PENINSULA

World Mental Health Day: A focus on emotional wellbeing at ACS DohaTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

One in four people in the world will be affected by a mental health problem, according to the World Health Organ-isation.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated this by creating a situation of uncertainty, bringing about feelings of apprehension and anxiety.

Alka Maher, Middle & High School Counsellor at ACS Doha, said the pan-demic has shown how exactly mental health can affect a society and heightened the need to pay attention to issues of emotional wellbeing.

When following social distancing and work/study from home practices, feelings of isolation have arisen, bringing a host of mental health con-cerns to the surface of society.

An increase in psychological dis-orders like anxiety, depression and

added introversion in school-aged children from the lack of social inter-action have become major concerns for schools that are striving to keep educational continuity while keeping students’ mental health afloat.

“The question is to what extent as teachers and caregivers have we nur-tured resilience in the face of mental health issues; and what more can we do to safeguard the emotional well-being of students at school,” said Maher.

“ACS International School Doha places a high level of importance on mental health, integrating it well within our core philosophy and using it in our approach to education.

From the practices we followed before the pandemic to the additional programmes we have incorporated in response to it, we are guided by a fluid, comprehensive and adaptive attitude

which aspires to educate and care for the person as a whole,” she said.

In the face of COVID-19, ACS has doubled its efforts in providing support to students, parents and staff.

From welcoming parent drop ins at the ‘Wellness Centre’ at school, to one-on-one sessions where students are encouraged to ‘Rate your mood’ in online conversations, the school main-tained open and honest communi-cation channels to better understand the wellbeing of the entire community.

“Our open communication within the community gives us the foresight needed in tailoring programmes like the ACS Doha ‘Advisory Programme’. Run once a week, the Advisory Pro-gramme seeks to address issues that directly or indirectly cause mental and physical health issues by incorporating various themes each week ranging

from bullying to managing stress,” she said.

Another fruitful collaboration between teachers, parents, and

students has been the successful trial/launch of the Middle Years Programme (MYP) eAssessment.

Recognising the barriers students were facing in taking online exams, the MYP eAssessment was specifically designed to give students a space to experience examination ahead of scheduled exams and become equipped with the skills needed to succeed in online learning.

ACS Doha’s focus on wellness is complemented by teacher trainings and awareness workshops run for the benefit of the community.

The school’s strong relationship with Sidra Medicine, one of Qatar’s leading medical research and healthcare providers, developed training programmes which bring in licensed medical professionals to the school to touch upon various topics.

Alka Maher, Middle & High School Counsellor at ACS Doha

THROUGH THE LENS

With gradual decline in temperature, Aspire Park is again abuzz with activities. The number of residents coming to the park has increased in the past few weeks. The park, located in Aspire Zone, covers an area of 88 hectares and is the biggest park in Doha. The park has different features such as beautiful fountains, playgrounds for children, and other fun features. It has the only lake in Qatar, a small hill, a coffee shop where different kinds of beverages can be bought, and various kinds of trees, both rare and common. Located close by is the Aspire Tower, a 300-metre modern hotel, which served as a giant torch for the 15th Asian Games in 2006. PICS: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

08 MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2020DOHA TODAY