October 5^th. The Competency Development Council at An-Najah University held its sixth meeting to discuss the different issues and achievements that the Council has made so far. The meeting was run by the Chair of the Competency Development Council, Professor Jawad Fatayer, and the members of the Council. In the meeting, the minutes of the previous meeting was approved and the report of the International Committee on the University and the role of the Council was also discussed.

In the meeting, the members also discussed the achievements that the Office of the University President Assistant for Graduate Affairs has made so far. Mr. Ala Abu Dheer, Coordinator of Zajel International Youth Exchange Program at An-Najah, delivered a presentation in which he summarized the workshops and summer camps that were organized in the field of English competency development in cooperation with the Office of the University President Assistant for Graduate Affairs. He also explained the role of the trainers in these workshops and events who taught the trainees on communication skills, public specking skills, English skills, Discourse and presentation skills. A total of 16 training courses were organized targeting more than 3000 students.

Furthermore, the members discussed the issue of social intelligence which the Council seeks to develop among the students. The different elements of this type of intelligence were explained and discussed including the student’s ability to diagnose problems and issues, future thinking, concentrated thinking, participation skills, the ability to be patient and to have strong vision, careful execution as well as interview skills.

Moreover, the members addressed the general knowledge of the students and its important role in increasing the graduates’ chances of finding a job. They also discussed the possible ways to enrich this knowledge through offering special courses that focus on general topics that are essential to the student’s experience. Additionally, they discussed how students choose their major and the factors and reasons that direct them towards choosing a particular study field.

Finally, the members pointed out the necessity to organize orientation meetings with the students even before they actually apply to the University so that they would have a strong start. This step can be achieved through organizing field visits to the different schools in the city and hold introductory meetings with the students there to familiarize them with the different study fields and faculties that the University has. They also recommended introducing the Competency Development Council to the students in order to familiarize them with its work and objectives.