The Islamic University of Gaza hosted the opening ceremony of the reconstruction and rehabilitation works in ten higher education institutions in the Gaza Strip which were affected during the 2014 aggression on Gaza. . The reconstruction works were funded by Qatar Development Fund QDF through Education Above All Foundation’s Fakhoora Programme and implemented by the United Nations Development Program UNDP / PAPP.
The ceremony was held at the VIP lounge at the Islamic University and was attended by senior delegates from QDF, UNPD, and Al-Fakhoora Programme, and representatives of various Palestinian universities and institutions
Speaking on behalf of the affected Palestinian universities, IUG’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Nasr Al-Din Al-Muzainiappreciated the development and educational efforts provided by Qatar Development Fund, United Nations Development Programme and Fakhoora Programme which helped enhance higher education in Palestine. He also stressed that the phrase “Education Above All” can be seen in the Gaza Strip despite the harsh circumstances, and confirmed that the economic conditions and the weakness in the labor market have not prevented students from pursuing their university education because education in Palestine is seen as a means to reaffirm rootedness in their land.
Engineer Shadi Saleh, from Fakhoora Porgramme, noted that the Programme believes in the importance of investment in education and supporting young people’s right to education, while he drew attention to the Programme’s interest in strengthening the process of higher education, and that the reconstruction of institutions of higher education damaged in the Gaza Strip comes in the framework of strengthening sovereign symbol of those institutions in the development of education.
UNDP’s special representative Mr. Roberto Valent stressed that the reconstruction and rehabilitation works in these institutions come as a means by the United Nations Development Program to encourages educational and humanitarian aspects of these institutions , thereby encouraging development and growth in the larger community.
