Mr. Ali Al-Dabbagh, Executive Director of Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD) and delegation leader, expressed his pleasure to visit the Gaza Strip and meet with presidents of higher education institutions during his visit to Islamic University of Gaza (IUG).He highlighted the importance of supporting the higher education sector and students in Palestinian universities, pointing to projects introduced by the State of Qatar through Qatari institutions that sponsor educational aspects by providing scholarships and financial aid to students and graduates.
Mr. Al-Dabbagh stressed the strong ties linking the State of Qatar with the land of Palestine, indicating that this relationship is deeply rooted and the Palestinian people have a paramount position among the Qatari people. He also showed willingness to continue providing support to facilitate students’ access to high-quality education, and promised to continue support to include all aspects of life, pointing out that Qatar Fund for Development is concrete evidence of supporting the education sector in the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Al-Dabbagh’s statements were received during his visit to the Islamic University, where he was heading a Qatari delegation from (QFFD) and the Education Above All Foundation. The meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Nasser Farhat, President of the Islamic University, Prof. Dr. Omar Milad, President of Al-Azhar University, Prof. Dr. Ayman Sobh, President of Al-Aqsa University, Prof. Dr. Raafat Judeh , President of Al-Quds Open University, Dr. Saeed Al-Zibdah, President of the University College of Applied Sciences, and representatives of United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Prof. Farhat praised the crucial and continuous efforts of the State of Qatar towards the Palestinian people, and said: “Qatar is the giver that we are proud of and never abandoned Gaza. It has always supported mega projects, whether in infrastructure, education or continuous aid to the people of the Gaza Strip”.
Prof. Farhat appreciated the significant and qualitative outputs of the Al-Fakhoora program, which was implemented in the past, and is being completed under a new name, “Qatar Scholarship Program”, which has benefited dozens of students in Palestinian universities. Prof. Farhat added: “It is an integrated program for human resource building and development, including bettering skills and abilities in educational, leadership, intellectual, and humanitarian aspects, to bring out good people useful to themselves, their country and homeland, and this program is one of the most successful that support students seeking science in Palestinian universities.”
In his speech on the reality of higher education in the Gaza Strip, Prof. Farhat referred to the statistics produced by the Islamic University, Al-Azhar University, and the University College of Applied Sciences, which indicated that more than eight thousand male and female students enrolled in those universities were unable to complete their educational path due to their harsh economic conditions, thus negatively impacting their future.
The Presidents of universities participating in the meeting unanimously agreed on the stifling crisis that higher education institutions are enduring in Gaza, and praised Qatar’s support of quality and vital projects in Gaza. This is in addition to supporting students and graduates with grants and financial aid that enable them to continue their education, obtain their pending certificates, and join the labor market. The presidents hoped that the Qatari delegation would continue supporting and adopting projects that would contribute to building Palestinian individuals capable of facing challenges.
The visiting delegation toured in Business and Technology Incubator at the university, and was briefed on programs and projects implemented by the incubator in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program, which resulted in incubating and supporting the best projects with the aim of qualifying them to generate profit and ultimately build their own startups.
Then, the participants in the meeting headed to the Champion Club in Gaza City to attend the 7th Graduation Ceremony of the “Qatar Scholarship Program”, totaling 999 male and female graduates, organized by the United Nations Development Program “Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People” with the support of Qatar Fund for Development through Above All Education Foundation.
