An-Najah National University : Women’s Mentoring Scheme

Advancing Women's Academic Success, Career Development and Leadership

An-Najah National University (ANNU) provides institutional women's mentoring schemes that support female students' academic progression, professional development, research, entrepreneurship and leadership. These schemes connect students with experienced faculty members, alumni and professionals, helping them build confidence, develop skills and make informed decisions about their education and future careers.

In 2025, 2,271 unique female students participated in the University's women's mentoring schemes, representing 25.7% of the total female student population of 8,836. This exceeded the 10% participation threshold by 15.7 percentage points.

Women's mentoring brings together the Deanship of Student Affairs, the Career and Alumni Unit, the Women and Society Research Unit, participating faculties and external partners.

Through these institutional structures, mentoring strengthens women's access to educational, professional and leadership opportunities across academic disciplines. The schemes contribute to SDG 5: Gender Equality, alongside SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Women's mentoring photo gallery

Female students presenting group work during a workshop.

Participants receiving certificates on completing a training programme.

Female students attending a university development session.

Female students with the Palestinian flag and the An-Najah flag.

Female students at An-Najah National University.

Students at a university event.

Interactive group mentoring session with female students.

1. Programme Objectives

The Women's Mentoring and Empowerment Schemes support female students through:

Academic guidance: assistance with educational goals, academic challenges, study progression and postgraduate opportunities.
Research development: guidance on research interests, project development, scientific communication and further study.
Career preparation: advice on professional pathways, employability skills, practical training and transitions into employment.
Leadership development: opportunities to strengthen confidence, communication, negotiation, teamwork and decision-making.
Entrepreneurship and innovation: guidance on developing ideas, evaluating opportunities and accessing professional expertise and incubation.
Professional networking: connections with alumni, employers, industry partners, NGOs and international professionals.
Inclusive participation: attention to the needs of women with disabilities, women facing financial or social barriers, and women entering underrepresented disciplines.

Relevant resources include the University Mentorship Program, female students' achievements in gender equality and scientific research, student clubs, and entrepreneurship support for women with disabilities.

2. Institutional Scope and Mentoring Approach

The University's mentoring framework combines academic, career, research and professional development opportunities. Individual guidance, group mentoring and project-based support provide different routes for female students to access relevant expertise.

Mentoring focuses on students' goals and development needs. Depending on the scheme, support may include advice on academic choices, feedback on research or entrepreneurial projects, career planning, professional skills and leadership responsibilities.

Faculty members contribute disciplinary knowledge and academic guidance. Alumni share experience of further study and professional transitions, while external professionals provide insight into employment, entrepreneurship and sector-specific opportunities.

Online communication and virtual mentoring extend access to expertise and help maintain contact when in-person participation is difficult. The Zajel student portal provides an institutional student information resource alongside the University's developing digital mentoring arrangements.

Mentoring schemes at a glance (2025)

Scheme	Lead	Mentors	Format
University Mentorship Program	University-wide	Academics, staff, graduates; local, regional and international experts	Virtual mentoring; AI-supported matching under development
Green Jobs: agri-food entrepreneurship	Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine with FAO and An-Najah Innovation Park	Academic and technical experts	Training, practical placements, project mentoring through implementation
Pharmedical Hackathon	Medicine and Pharmacy (student unions under university supervision)	Faculty experts	Team workshops and mentoring sessions
Alumni mentoring and professional connections	Medical Education Unit; Career and Alumni Unit	Alumni and professionals	Alumni engagement plan 2025–2026
Women's studies and research guidance	Women and Society Research Unit; Women's Studies programme	Faculty and research supervisors	Academic guidance and research supervision

3. Participation and Impact: 2019–2025

Female student participation in women's mentoring schemes, 2019–2025

Year	Female participants	Total female students	Participation rate	Notes
2019	1,630	15,980	10.2%	Pilot groups launched in Education & Medicine
2020	2,202	15,619	14.1%	Expanded to Engineering & Business
2021	2,622	16,385	16.0%	Linked with Career Guidance Unit
2022	3,122	16,607	18.8%	Introduced "Women in STEM" mentoring
2023	3,328	16,232	20.5%	Alumni mentoring via Najah Alumni Network
2024	2,424	10,872	22.3%	Digital mentoring integration on Zajel
2025	2,271	8,836	25.7%	Expanded academic, career and leadership mentoring for female students across faculties

Participation rates are rounded to one decimal place.

Participation rate = unique female student mentees ÷ total female students × 100.

Each female student is counted once in the annual institutional total, regardless of repeat attendance or participation in more than one mentoring activity.

Participation Trend

The proportion of female students participating in mentoring increased from 10.2% in 2019 to 25.7% in 2025, an increase of 15.5 percentage points. Between 2024 and 2025, the participation share increased by 3.4 percentage points.

4. Highlighted Mentoring Initiatives and Developments in 2025

4.1 Global University Mentorship Program

University-wide initiative | Announced 22 April 2025

An-Najah launched the University Mentorship Program to connect students, graduates, academics and staff with expertise within the University and with local, regional and international networks.

The initiative provides a framework for guidance in academic, research, professional and skills development through virtual mentoring. The announcement also describes an AI-supported mentor-matching system under development, intended to connect participants' needs with mentors' expertise.

This initiative strengthens institutional capacity for mentoring and provides an additional framework through which female students can access academic and professional guidance.

University Mentorship Program launch announcement: "Affirming its commitment to developing academic partnerships and strengthening knowledge exchange, An-Najah launches the global University Mentorship Program."

Sources: Program page | Launch announcement

4.2 Women's Participation in Green Entrepreneurship and Mentoring

Agriculture, FAO and An-Najah Innovation Park | Forum held 21 June 2025; completion event held 1 July 2025

Through the project "Green Jobs and Sustainable Income Opportunities for Palestinian Youth in the Agri-Food Sector," An-Najah and FAO combined technical learning, practical experience, entrepreneurship support and mentoring.

The University's report published on 30 June 2025 documents:

More than 222 trainees, 77% female, completing 70 hours of training.
Over 130 participants accessing practical training in agricultural and food-processing institutions.
37 An-Najah student projects selected for funding, with awards of up to USD 15,000 per project.
Support throughout the training, mentoring and implementation stages.

The programme connected participants with academic and technical expertise and supported the development of practical entrepreneurial projects. www.najah.edu

Dr. Heba Alfares, Project Coordinator, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, presenting the Youth II "Green Job" capacity-building and coaching programme for Palestinian women and men.

Green entrepreneurship training session for programme participants at An-Najah Innovation Park, 2025.

Programme participant and facilitators at An-Najah Innovation Park, 2025.

A subsequent report, published on 4 July 2025, recorded that more than 25% of trainees had obtained employment and that more than 90 companies and institutions had participated in student training. These employment results concern the overall programme population rather than female participants alone. www.najah.edu

The published programme figures provide supporting evidence of reach and outcomes. They are not additional counts to be added to the University's annual total of unique female mentees.

Sources: University forum report | Faculty of Agriculture report | Programme completion report | Innovation Park coverage | Additional Innovation Park report

4.3 Faculty-Expert Mentoring through the Pharmedical Hackathon

Medicine and Pharmacy | Concluded 24 May 2025

The Pharmedical Hackathon combined academic lectures, team workshops and mentoring sessions delivered by faculty experts. Organised by student unions under university supervision, it supported research skills, project management, interdisciplinary collaboration, leadership and innovation.

The activity illustrates mentoring embedded in collaborative student project development. Its published report does not provide a separate female participant count. fmhs.najah.edu

Faculty experts guiding student teams, including female students, during the Pharmedical Hackathon, May 2025.

Sources: Read the faculty report

4.4 Strengthening Alumni Mentoring and Professional Connections

Medical Education Unit | Event held 20 May 2025; report published 22 May 2025

At the Faculty of Medicine's Alumni Day, the Medical Education Unit presented a framework connecting graduate engagement with professional development, mentoring, curriculum development and collaborative research.

The presentation included a 2025–2026 implementation plan for strengthening graduate relationships. This provides a direction for expanding alumni contributions to student development and continuing professional learning. fmhs.najah.edu

Presentation on alumni engagement at the Faculty of Medicine Alumni Day, 20 May 2025.

Launch of the MD Alumni Club, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, 20 May 2025.

Women faculty members and alumni at the Alumni Day, 20 May 2025.

Sources: Read the Alumni Day report

5. Complementary 2025 Activities Supporting Women's Progression

The following activities support women's academic and professional development alongside the mentoring initiatives above. They provide context on research networks, practical placements, technical education and access to professional expertise.

5.1 Supporting Women in Research: The Med Hub

Engineering and international collaboration | Held 29–30 April 2025; report published 1 May 2025

An-Najah and the University of Naples Federico II organised "Supporting Women in Research: The Med Hub," supported by the SULIEIA Project and involving the Chemical Engineering programme's AIChE Student Chapter and the Entrepreneurship Association.

The two-day event addressed barriers facing women researchers through panel discussions, practical workshops, LinkedIn networking and interactive experience-sharing sessions. It brought together women academics, international experts and interested students, providing access to professional perspectives and research role models. www.najah.edu

Panel of women academics, with a remote international speaker, at "Supporting Women in Research: The Med Hub", April 2025.

Sources: English report | Arabic report

5.2 Female Law Students' Six-Month Professional Placements

Faculty of Law and Political Science and Norwegian Refugee Council | Published 18 October 2025

Under the University's cooperation agreement with the Norwegian Refugee Council, law students participated in a four-day programme addressing housing, land and property rights, residency and humanitarian protection.

Following the programme, three female students—Maryam Assi, Narmin Qabha and Ghazal Dawood—were selected for six-month work and training placements with NRC. Their responsibilities combined field and office experience, including documentation, data collection and communication with affected communities.

The placements demonstrate sustained professional development connecting academic knowledge with practical legal work. The report documents training and placements rather than explicitly identifying a formal mentoring scheme. www.najah.edu

Female law students on six-month placements with the Norwegian Refugee Council, 2025.

Sources: Read the official report

5.3 Sustaining Women's Technical Education through GRIT–Thabry

Hisham Hijjawi Technological College | Published 18 December 2025

Hisham Hijjawi College hosted representatives of the Thabry project and its Canadian supporters to review six years of project interventions.

The visit included upgraded technical facilities and meetings with female scholarship beneficiaries for 2025/2026, who shared their experiences and the support's contribution to their educational progression.

This documents continuing support for women entering technical and vocational disciplines and provides context for inclusive student development. hijjawi.najah.edu

Thabry project delegation and college representatives at Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology.

Sources: Read the Hijjawi report | GRIT project overview

5.4 Access to Female Professional Expertise in Digital Marketing

An-Najah Community College | Held 11 November 2025; report published 19 November 2025

An-Najah Community College hosted digital marketing specialist Walaa Barham for a session with Marketing and E-Commerce students. Topics included digital platforms, branding, content development, search visibility and advertising campaign analysis.

The session connected students with a female industry professional and practical workplace expertise, supporting career awareness and professional development. hijjawi.najah.edu

Sources: Read the college report

5.5 Technical Learning Opportunities in Agriculture

VR/AR agricultural training centre | Published 7 May 2025

An-Najah launched a training centre using virtual and augmented reality to develop young women's and men's skills in greenhouse installation and hydroponic systems.

Established within the Green Jobs project, the centre provides simulation-based learning and specialised training resources, including Arabic and English software. It strengthens the practical learning infrastructure supporting the broader agricultural entrepreneurship programme. www.najah.edu

Sources: Read the training-centre announcement

6. Key Institutional Components

Women and Society Research Unit

The Women and Society Research Unit contributes to the University's work on gender equality, women's participation, social empowerment and leadership. Its activities connect academic knowledge with women's development needs and the social barriers affecting participation.

Women's Studies Programme

The Women's Studies master's programme provides an interdisciplinary environment for examining gender relations, social structures and women's participation.

Academic guidance and research supervision support students' intellectual development. Mentoring complements this environment by helping students explore research interests, professional aspirations and leadership opportunities.

Career and Alumni Networks

The Career and Alumni Unit connects students and graduates with professional development opportunities.

Alumni involvement offers female students access to role models, experience of employment and postgraduate study, and practical advice on professional transitions.

Student Affairs, Faculties and Student Clubs

The Deanship of Student Affairs, participating faculties and student clubs provide channels for student engagement, leadership and development.

These structures connect mentoring with academic activities, professional learning and wider student support services.

7. External Partnerships and Projects

An-Najah National University works with international and local partners to strengthen women's access to academic guidance, professional networks, technical education, entrepreneurship and employment. These partnerships complement institutional mentoring through practical training, project development, research collaboration and inclusive support.

Projects Supporting Women's Development and Mentoring

7.1 Green Jobs and Sustainable Income Opportunities for Palestinian Youth in the Agri-Food Sector — FAO

Implemented by An-Najah in partnership with FAO and supported by the Danish government, this project combined technical learning, practical placements, entrepreneurship support and mentoring. The University's 2025 report records more than 222 trainees, 77% female, completing 70 hours of training, with support provided throughout training, mentoring and project implementation. It also documents 37 An-Najah student projects selected for funding. najah.edu

Sources: University report | Faculty of Agriculture report | Programme outcomes, July 2025

7.2 GRIT–Thabry: Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Technical Education — 2019–2025

Through Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology, An-Najah participated in this Canadian-supported initiative implemented by the Lutheran World Federation and Canadian Lutheran World Relief. Support included scholarships, accessible facilities, curriculum development, professional training and activities encouraging women's participation in technical education, including women with disabilities. hijjawi.najah.edu

Sources: Project overview | December 2025 review and meetings with female beneficiaries

7.3 SULIEIA — Supporting Women in Research

Under SULIEIA, An-Najah collaborated with the University of Naples Federico II to organise "Supporting Women in Research: The Med Hub" on 29–30 April 2025. The event provided workshops, professional networking and experience sharing addressing women's progression in research. It connected students and academics with international expertise and female research role models. najah.edu

Sources: University report | Partner university announcement

7.4 EPISODE — Social Entrepreneurship and Mentoring Capacity

EPISODE supports entrepreneurship development and the capacity of trainers and mentors. In May 2025, An-Najah's Scientific Centres and Innovation Park reported completing a 210-hour community entrepreneurship programme for university students and graduates. This provides a broader institutional pathway for entrepreneurial learning and project development; the published report does not supply a female participation breakdown.

Sources: University programme report | Training of trainers and mentors

7.5 She Succeeds — Women's Agricultural Entrepreneurship, 2019–2023

This Canadian-funded project was implemented by Save the Children with MA'AN Development Center and the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee. An-Najah's participation included practical workshops for female university students in agriculture, engineering and information technology, delivered by university specialists. Activities linked technical skills with entrepreneurial ideas and feasibility development. It represents an earlier foundation for women's entrepreneurship support.

Sources: University participation report | Community Service Center project overview

7.6 GREENLAND — Green Skills and Employment Pathways

Through GREENLAND, An-Najah's project network supported market-oriented skills for women and young people in the green and circular economy. The University's project directory describes training, job shadowing and coaching. Hijjawi's published training announcement targeted women and youth outside employment, education or training, making this particularly relevant to community and graduate development. Source: International Grants and Projects Center.

Sources: University project directory | Hijjawi training announcement | Project website

7.7 INSPIRE Social Lab — Gender Equality in Science and Innovation

An-Najah's involvement in the INSPIRE Social Lab provided opportunities for institutional exchange on gender equality in science, technology and innovation. Its participation in the September 2025 RMEIM workshop in Rome highlighted Palestinian women's achievements and explored collaborative initiatives. This partnership strengthens the institutional environment supporting women's progression, rather than establishing a separate student mentoring count.

Sources: Read the university report

7.8 Norwegian Refugee Council — Female Students' Professional Placements

Under An-Najah's agreement with NRC, specialist legal training led to six-month work and training placements for three female law students in 2025. This partnership connected academic learning with sustained field and office experience, supporting professional skills and career progression. www.najah.edu

Sources: Read the university report

Related External Women's Economic Empowerment Initiatives

GROW: supports women's economic opportunities, enterprise development and decision-making in Palestine. Retain it as external context unless a specific ANNU implementation role is documented. grow.ps | Project page
Enabel's Pathway to Employment grants: supported women's micro and small businesses through grants launched in July 2024 and reported in March 2025. The announcement names Asala, Birzeit University's B-Hub and YMCA Jerusalem as partners; it does not establish ANNU's involvement. open.enabel.be

Project beneficiaries contribute to the University's female mentoring total only where enrolled students' participation in qualifying mentoring is documented. Historical programmes are retained as evidence of institutional experience, without implying delivery in 2025.

8. Inclusive Participation and Support

The University's women's mentoring approach recognises that students experience different barriers to academic and professional participation. Accessibility, supportive communication and connections with relevant services help women from diverse backgrounds access development opportunities.

Supporting initiatives include:

Scholarships, awareness activities and training contribute to the wider support environment. Their beneficiaries enter mentoring statistics where participation in qualifying mentoring is documented.

9. Supporting Activities and Success Stories

The following reports preserve the University's existing evidence of women's empowerment, academic guidance, professional development, inclusion and student achievement. They cover different years and provide context alongside the 2025 mentoring evidence.

Academic Achievement, Research and Role Models

An-Najah female students Rand Allawneh, Rous Jaradat and Aya Abdelghani excel in the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Women's Affairs competitions (academic research and student researcher categories).

A new global achievement for An-Najah students: a team of female students reached the semi-final and final rounds of an international commercial arbitration competition in Saudi Arabia, among 134 teams from 27 countries.

Entrepreneurship, Technical Education and Professional Skills

Scholarships and Partnerships Supporting Women

External Mentoring Opportunities for Women Graduates and Professionals

The University also publicises relevant external opportunities. Its TechWomen 2025 announcement, published in December 2024, described a five-week professional exchange with mentoring from technology companies. Eligibility required a bachelor's degree and at least two years of professional experience. This opportunity supports women's professional development but does not establish participation by enrolled ANNU female students. www.najah.edu

Student Leadership, Professional Engagement and Community Participation

10. Participation Reporting and Evidence

The mentoring participation indicator measures the reach of qualifying mentoring among female students. Its interpretation follows these principles:

Individual participation: each female student is counted once in the annual institutional total.
Actual engagement: participation is distinguished from programme capacity, invitations and registrations.
Mentoring content: qualifying activities provide identifiable academic, career, research, entrepreneurial or leadership guidance.
Consistent scope: the mentee count and total female student population relate to the same reporting period and institutional scope.
Supporting records: programme reports, schedules, attendance records and mentoring documentation support reported participation.
Privacy: public reporting presents aggregate results while protecting students' personal information.

Scholarships, competitions, public events and general training provide supporting context. They contribute to mentoring participation totals only where a qualifying mentoring component is documented.

11. Impact Highlights

2,271 unique female students participated in mentoring during 2025.
25.7% of female students were reached, exceeding the 10% threshold by 15.7 percentage points.
Academic, career and leadership mentoring extended across participating faculties.
The University Mentorship Program provided a framework for wider academic and professional connections.
The Agriculture–FAO programme documented substantial female participation and mentoring linked to practical entrepreneurship.
Faculty expertise and alumni engagement supported opportunities for project development and professional learning.
Inclusive initiatives strengthened the wider environment supporting women with different educational and development needs.

12. Sustainability and Future Priorities: 2025–2027

An-Najah's continuing priorities include:

Expanding access to academic, career, postgraduate and research mentoring.
Strengthening faculty, alumni and professional mentor networks.
Developing digital mentor matching and virtual mentoring opportunities.
Improving accessibility and flexible participation.
Strengthening annual reporting on participation, student experience and documented outcomes.
Exploring cooperation with UNESCO Chairs and regional women's networks.
Connecting mentoring with research, entrepreneurship, employment and leadership opportunities.

13. Access and Enquiries

Female students seeking information about mentoring and related development opportunities can contact their faculty or the following university units:

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Women’s Mentoring Scheme