The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at An-Najah is currently preparing for the Community Education Conference which will take place between30 – 31 May and at Prince Turki Theatre.

The conference aims at sharing the experiences of teaching, learning and training through linking higher education to the needs of the local community.

Dr. Abdelkareem Daraghmeh, Director of CELT and organisational committee member, stated that the conference, which will be held in cooperation with the American University in Cairo and will be attended by a number of Palestinian universities, aims at sharing the experiences of linking higher education to the needs of the local community. That includes integrating projects within ministries, community organisations, and private sector companies in the curriculum of the Palestinian universities. The new courses will also be hosting representatives from those companies and ministries to follow up on the students’ progress within these projects.

The participants in the Community Learning Conference will be presenting – over 2 days- 10 projects from An-Najah and 2 projects from the American University in Cairo, where community projects have been integrated. An example of such a project is the design of supporting material for grades 1-4 in the English curricula. Also, the design of websites for local community institutions, designing advertisements for non-governmental organisations and preparing evaluations for the Initial Care Programme within the Ministry of Health.

A session of the conference will be dedicated for the representatives from the local community to discuss their experiences in cooperating with higher education institutions , their vision for future projects, and the role that the local community is expected to play.

The conference will include an exposition called “Community Education” in which the student projects for the local community will be displayed from both An-Najah and the American University in Cairo.

Notes:

1-    The conference is being organised by An-Najah National University and the American University in Cairo, and funded by AMIDEAST through its Palestinian Competency Development Programme funded by USAID.

2-    The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching has also successfully employed community education in undertaking a project to design electronic maps for the municipality of BeitWazan.