News Archive
In The Meeting of The Press Club…Al-Ja’abari Demands A Comprehensive Strategic Plan To Uplift Higher Education
75% of Hebron University Students Are Female Students 15% of Whom Are Married
Despite the Circumstances of the Occupation and the Aggressions of the Settlers… The University Continues its March with Confidence
Jerusalem—Dr. Nabil Al-J’abari chairman of Hebron University Board of Trustees viewed that success in Palestinian higher education requires forming a higher education council which represents all the Palestinians inside and abroad and it should supervise the formulation and ratifying a strategic plan in Palestine which is unified and comprehensive so that we can prepare educated generations who are able to compete internationally and not only locally or on the Arab level.Al-Ja’abari diagnosed the reality of Palestinian higher education through focusing on the model and experience of Hebron University. He was talking in the Wednesday meeting organized by the Jerusalem Press Club in the Cultural Salon of the Educational Library under the patronage of Hammoudeh Investment Group.
In the beginning, Dr. Al-Ja’abari gave a brief historical glimpse about establishing the Palestinian universities the number of which today is 18 universities, colleges and educational institutes. The beginning was in the late 1960s through an idea by the leadership that there should be one university. However, there was no agreement about the city where this university should be located. Hebron University was established with Al-Sharai’a College in 1971 and it began by 34 students with the majority of the Palestinians of 1948. This college granted the first BA. Degree 4 years in Palestine. In this connection it is mentioned that the leaderships of the Islamic movement inside and among its symbols are Sheikh Raed Salah and Kamal Al-Khateeb are among its graduates. Today the number of its students is 7500 students of which 75-80% are female students among whom there are one thousand married students. One is proud to see pregnant female students coming to the University to seek education and knowledge.
Absorbing The Growing Generations
Al-Ja’abari clarified that the beginnings of higher education and the universities were extremely difficult. The main goal at that time was perhaps absorbing young men so that they do not go abroad and be exposed to suffering and loss. The number of the students at Hebron University jumped to 1200 male and female students after a few years and among them there was a large percentage from Bir Seba’ and the town of Rahat. He said that there is development in the Palestinian universities but it is slow and difficult because the Palestinian Authority do not offer real financial support. Among the 40 million dollars allocated to the universities, only 2-3 million dollars were spent last year!
Al-ja’abari compared education between yesterday and today in our universities. Most universities follow the system of years of education except Bir Zeit University which follow the system of the credit hours. We notice that the universities are in dire need to larger halls and areas due to the increasing numbers of students and they need a bigger number of professors and lecturers. Also the financial expenses are continuously rising. We really lose the level of education which we aspire to.. because we want our graduates to compete internationally …but as a result of the different pressures there had been negligence and certain regression…and the professors are more lenient in giving passing grades and facilitating opportunities of success, and this is a problem which needs research to find logical solutions for it. He emphasized that if we do not invest more money in university education, the result will be more graduates only who are without jobs! … and an army of graduates who are unemployed.
The Absorption Capacity
He said that the rise in the number of female students in Hebron University is due to the conservative environment and that the girl should remain in her own surroundings. He pointed out that the absorption capacity of the University is practically 750 male and female students every year, but we are obliged to receive double this number, 1600 male and female students. We strive to follow up this influx and to expand the areas of the University as much as possible. He mentioned other differences between the universities of yesterday and the universities today. For example Hebron University, the percentage of its students from Hebron was 35%but today 95% of the male and female students are from the Hebron Governorate. The University has become quite local How can we overcome this problem. Unfortunately, the concept of higher education in Palestine is not understood. This can be noticed by lack of appreciation for the universities and their presidents, and this is a dangerous view. Higher education should be viewed as being science, thought and continuous development towards the better and not merely a certificate for employment only! Now intellectual mixing and exchange of ideas are absent among the students of Palestine who used to meet from the extreme north to the extreme south.
He clarified this distinct point by saying that Israel noticed until 2000 that the Palestinian people is in the stage of building its society. It became attentive to the universities and prisons to a large extent in building the Palestinian entity. So it began to change this situation. It recoursed to the policy of separating between Palestinian cities and making movement among them difficult and exhausting. Unfortunately, Israel succeeded in dividing the Palestinian people …to the extent that we sign agreements with universities in the world but it is difficult to apply this among our Palestinian universities and the relationship among them is not as we wish, like and be proud of. It is inevitable to restore the atmosphere of cooperation and joint aim in confronting the policies of the occupation. He criticized some practices in the students’ senate elections which are exaggerated in being representative of the Palestinian street whereas the role of the universities should be first and last to spread thought and knowledge among the Palestinians. Instead of this, these student attractions and elections work to firmly establish Palestinian division. What is strange is that despite the large numbers of the female students in the University, their role is marginalized and does not reach the size of their numerical existence. The presence of the woman in University should precede her presence in the Legislative Council or the ministry. Unfortunately, half of the society is still receiving instructions from the other half! The pattern of higher education in Palestine should be changed in the framework of one kingdom.. in which the lecturing professor can move among the different Palestinian universities and give his knowledge to all…until we reach the suitable scientific degree.
Where Is The private Sector?
In response to a question by the reporter Hasan Dandees, Dr. Al-Ja’abari demanded that the private sector has a role in absorbing the graduates through the support given by private sector companies to the universities and investing in them . The aim should be the ability of the students and the graduates to compete, pointing out to the Israeli obstacles and impediments before developing education through the daily oppression practices against the students and preventing them from reaching their universities many times. As for the Palestinian subjective impediments, they are represented in the necessity of changing the prevailing thought…for all our concern is how to guarantee the salaries in addition to the more important problem which is the absence of the clear educational strategy.
In the framework of the observation by Muhammad Suweilem about the huge number of Palestinian universities and the large number of students, about 60 thousand students in Al-Quds open university for example, he said that the idea of the universities come in the context of serving the Palestinian people and preserving the Palestinian identity ultimately with its national and Islamic components. Ultimately, we will have no exemplary university education unless we are liberated from the occupation and its practices. All that we do now is to attempt to patch up so that we are steadfast on the land. If we get liberated from the occupation I will be the first one to confront higher education in its present picture. He expressed his anger because of the continuous Palestinian-Palestinian disagreement which exhausted the people and made it apathetic. In his interposition, Nabil Al-Jolani asked about coordination and complementarity among Palestinian universities to embody a real development plan which is connected with the inside and broad and which aims to develop the society away from interference in the universities and preventing them from playing their basic role. Al-Ja’abari responded that it is impossible to isolate the universities as the largest gathering from the political and societal movement. However, the existence of a strong and active umbrella which is the council of higher education contributes in human investment of the proficiencies in our universities through the tools of scientific research with the participation of the universities and local society institutions , the proficiencies inside and broad and building a higher educational philosophy which is capable of preparing educated generations which provide the Palestinian arena with all qualifications for building and development which it needs.
Development And Education
Prof.Dr. Radwan Barakat called for the importance of tying education to comprehensive development and its tool is scientific research .Perhaps there is an interest in more private universities in order to absorb the increasing numbers of the Tawjeehi graduates . Jabi Abdullah drew the attention to the role of the schools to begin with in this hierarchical process in matters of good preparation for choosing the suitable and required specializations for the private sector in preparation for building proficiencies at a local and international level. Al-Ja’abari viewed that the level of our students here is better than the levels of the surrounding universities. However without an integrated plan, there remains a big problem. Here there is a role for every Palestinian citizen in improving our performance in higher education so that we are able to compete internationally because our capital as Palestinian people is education and we have no other natural wealths. Taking care of the human wealth should the double and on the top of the levels. Also the qualities and levels of all the students should be reviewed.
Al-Ja’abari, in his response to writer Maleeha Maslamani, decided hat we have a shortage in professors and that qualification is the basic condition for employment regardless of gender or political affiliation. We always look for the youth element. As for the women element it has the priority. However, we cannot do without qualification, curriculum vita and direct interview as mechanism for appointment. It can be said that we at Hebron University have documented have documented every stone and Quranic verse in the noble Ibrahimi Mosque to the extent that we opened a kindergarten beside the Mosque to make people steadfast in their houses and to revive Palestinian life there. We do not hesitate in supporting this with every means within the available potentials. It is inevitable to point out that Hebron University had been exposed to settlers’ attacks and aggressions, and a number of its students were martyred, tens were wounded, its library was burnt but it did not surrender. It will continue in the road of life and the march of knowledge and teaching.
Dr. israa’ Abu-Ayyash suggested focusing in the philosophy of the Council Of Higher education on encouraging the private sector in investing in the Palestinian universities and also to get away from the centrality of the decision by adopting non-centrality in higher education which allows the enlistment of all relevant categories in building these pioneering educational edifices. Al-Ja’abari responded that the equation of coonecting work to education is the missing link towards arriving at what we aspire for in this domain. However, the family nature of private companies limits this setting out for cooperation. Imad Muna demanded that education be for all and not politicizing the universities through that the students’ senates be for demands and service for the students. Dr. Al-Ja’abari finished by saying that the role of the students’ senate was necessary due to the exceptional state which is our existence under occupation. However, there is thinking to make elections once every two or three years so that efforts will not be dispersed or lose them in a futile way. On how the university is financed, he said that the policy of austerity and recoursing to the Arab brothers play the most prominent role in paying the expenses and completing the march. As for the Tawjeehi averages, he viewed that he is not with considering Tawjeehi as the only criterion for university education. However, this is connected to changing the prevailing concepts and searching for other criteria for evaluation and admittance.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Accompanying Delegation Visit the Arabs of Al-Rashaydeh
Dr. Nabil Al-Ja’abari chairman of Hebron Unievsrity Board of Trustees and the accompanying delegation which included Board of Trustees member Mr. Jawdi Abu-isnaineh, the president of the Unievrsity Prof. Dr. Ahmad Atawneh, the ambassador of Palestine in Canada Mr. Sa’id Hamad, the secretary of Fatah in the Hebron region Mr. Kefah Al-Iwaiwi, den of the Faculty of Al-Shari’a Prof. Dr. Hussein Al-tartouri, dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Dr. Sabri Zughayyer, the Adminsitraive Vice President Mr. Zeyad Al-Ja’abari, Mr. Khader Al-Qawasmi, Mr. Abdul-‘Aleem Da’ana, director of the office of the Board of Trustees Dr. Tareq Al-Ja’abari, the director of Public Relations Dr. Amjad Shehab, Dr. Mustafa Shawer from the Faculty of Al-Shari’a and the University security official Mr. fakhri Al-Ja’abari were the guests of the Arabs of Al-rashaydeh tribe.
The delegation was received by Sheikh Ali Ideh Al-Rashaydeh, sheikh Abu-Hussein Al-Rashaydeh, engineer Fawwaz Juma’a Al-rashaydeh head of the Arab Al-rashaydeh village council and a number of the notables of the tribe.
The delegation got acquainted with the living conditions and the difficult circumstances that the tribe faces due to the practices of the Israeli occupation and the scant support from the Palestinian government. Engineer Fawwaz Al-rashaydeh gave a glimpse about the history of Al-rashaydeh tribe which is considered one of the most Arab tribes whereby it spreads in several countries the most important of which are Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Palestine.
Engineer Fawwz Al-Rashaydeh answered all the questions which focused on how to support their steadfastness on the land of Palestine specially in the fields of education, and supporting the livestock which is considered on of the pillars of their existence on the land.
Dr. nabil Al-Ja’abari expressed his pride in their steadfastness and emphasized for them that Hebron University will remain open for the students of the tribe and that it will continue giving any help specially in the academic domain in order to support their steadfastness on their lands.
At the end of the visit, engineer Fawwaz Al-Rashaydeh in the name of the tribe thanked Dr. nabil-Al-Ja’abari and the accompanying delegation for their interest and help for the tribe in general and the students in particular.
It is worth mentioning that the number of the individuals of the tribe in Palestine alone is more than forty thousand persons distributed in several areas. The main occupation of the individuals of the tribe is grazing sheep. They depend on the renewable energy which provide them with electricity to fulfill their needs.
