3,658 this year and 46,000 since its Establishment, IUG Celebrates the 31st Graduation Ceremony The
Islamic University of Gaza (IUG), the biggest university in Palestine, ranked
the 14th in the Arab World, celebrated yesterday, 26th June, the graduation of
a group of students from the Faculty of Arts. The graduates attended four-year
programs in various fields, majoring in English Literature, Mass Communication,
History, Geography, Arabic Literature and Geographic Information System (GIS).
This is the 31st group to graduate from IUG since its establishment. The total
number of graduates this year is 3658 and the number of graduates since the
establishment of the university in 1978 exceeds 46,000, studying in more than
100 majors.
On June the 26th, IUG celebrated the graduation of the first
group of students from the Faculty of Medicine, which was established in 2006.
The graduates completed a six-year program. The faculty faced numerous
difficulties during the time of the Israeli siege, yet efforts were made to
overcome the obstacles.
"Professors from The University of Manchester visited IUG
recently. They said that the level of medical students at the university is
better than their counterparts at the UM," said MP Jamal Naji Al-Khoudari,
the head of IUG Board of Trustees.
IUG was established in 1978 to allow students who were prevented
from traveling to neighboring Arab countries and who had financial problems to
study in the Gaza Strip. Tents were first used as halls. Nowadays, there are 12
buildings at IUG. One is under construction and the Scientific Laboratory
Building is being re-built after been targeted by Israel during the 2008-2009
war on Gaza.
"One of the graduates is Jihad Abu-Shabab who was killed in
the latest Israeli air strikes on Gaza. He got a BA in Geography, but sadly he
is not with us today," said Waleed Amer, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts.
"IUG have launched a M.A program in Mass Communication. Two
others majors in Plant Production and Politics and Media will operate next
year," said Dr. Kamalain Shaa'th, IUG president.
"O poetry, grant me words to express my thanks to parents
and professors, who made this moment real. It's a day of joyfulness. It's the
harvest of four years of hard work and sleeping late" noted Hana
Al-Bauomi, in a speech on behalf of the graduates.
"It's an unexampled happy day. Such happy moments of
graduation and success are really amazingly different. I hope this success to
be followed by further success in postgraduate studies in the future,"
said Abdul-Rahman Murad, 22-year graduate from English Literature Department.
The coming few days will witness staging other ceremonies at IUG
for graduates from the faculties of Sharia and Law, Commerce, Science, Nursing,
IT, Religion, Education and Engineering.
"I feel great that I am finally a graduate. I remembered
all the hard times I have been through and took a deep sight," said Ola
Ziada, one of the graduates.
IUG is a vivid example of what Palestinians can do with tents.
In 1978, it started with tents. Today, it has 11 high, modern state of the art
buildings. When it first started, there were two majors. Today, there are more
than 100 majors. IUG simply counts on Palestine's youth, who will bring the
liberation of Palestine one step closer.