Organizing the World Educational Forum at the University
01 November 2010
On November 1st 2010, under the auspices of the University President, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, the World Educational Forum titled "Education as a Tool to Free the Mind and the Man" was organized at the Korean Palestinian IT Institute of Excellence at the New Campus. Attendees included Prof. Maher Abu Eid, Vice President for Academic Affairs, in addition to representatives of several local institutions and foreign delegations. Mr. Sa'ed Abu Hijleh, instructor at the Department of Geography at the University was the master of ceremony for the event.
At the opening of the meeting, Prof. Abu Eid delivered a speech on behalf of the University President in which he welcomed the participants and valued their interest in the event which aimed to support sustainable development in the developing countries. He then descried the objectives of holding such event "This forum aims to enhance the exchange of experience in order to develop our countries in terms of education, economy and other aspects of life. We should have our own educational systems and should not adopt systems that others make for us if we are to develop and become independent". He explained that the forum tried to bring together different experts in the field of local, regional and international education to support the educational sector in Palestine. The forum focused on education as a way to develop the local society and ensure its well being.
Prof. Abu Eid also said that choosing Palestine as a place to hold the forum reflected the solidarity with the Palestinians and offered a chance to present the educational experience in Palestine and the conditions it faced over the years. The many Israeli practices which try to impact education in Palestine include the destruction of schools, interference in curricula and others. This has negatively influenced education in Palestine and led to deterioration in the quality of services provided to the Palestinian students.
Education must be planned in terms of curriculum and educational environment so that the best educational atmosphere would be provided. Education is closely connected with other aspects of life like economics, development and industry, therefore, the development of education leads to immediate development in those fields. Education in Palestine has been through many challenging situations which led to serious drawbacks which need to be considered in order to achieve a successful development on all levels.
The forum included a number of sessions in which the participants presented different work papers including: "Challenges of Educational Process in Palestine", "Education and Identity", "Pre-School Education, Reality and Anticipation", "Education in Palestine in Light of world Agreements", "The Well Being of Students at the UNRWA Schools, Reality and Challenges", "Education as a Tool to Free both Mind and Man", "Education and Detain Experience", "Dropping out of School, Children Employment and the Role of Parents' Councils", "Occupation and its Impact on Education in Palestine" and others.
The event also included conducting a number of field visits to some of the most significant sites in Nablus including the Old City and Balata Refugee Camp. A cultural evening was also organized at Hikmat Al-Masri Amphitheater music, folklore dance and poetry. An exhibition was held as part of the forum at the Faculty of Fine Arts which displayed a number of art works such as embroidery, handicrafts, brochures and many other items.
