Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) has won a partnership research project with the Institute of Education, affiliated with the Faculty of Education and Society at the University College London, which has been ranked as the world’s number one in education since 2014. This success is part of the university’s effort to establish international partnerships through visits, international projects, and collaboration with European and international universities, which the university highly values.
The Palestinian project’s achievement came after Dr. Nazmi Al-Masri, a faculty member of the English Language Department at the Faculty of Arts, visited several education colleges at European universities, including those in Britain, Finland, and Norway. Dr. Al-Masri delivered numerous lectures on education, languages, culture, and disability, highlighting IUG’s excellent capabilities in building and developing international relations and partnerships with dozens of prestigious universities in Europe.
Dr. Al-Masri explained that the project aims to produce a podcast and conduct educational research to analyze and document the IUG’s capabilities and response to the effects of the blockade on Gaza, considered a humanitarian catastrophe imposed for over 16 years. IUG is considered a shining Palestinian example of exchanging, transferring, and disseminating innovative Palestinian experiences in providing high-quality education to Palestinian students and refugees amid prolonged and multiple crises and in situations of conflict, war, and emergencies.
The project’s activities include holding workshops in Palestine, a seminar in Britain, and producing a podcast that documents the IUG’s practical educational and scientific experiences amid various difficulties and challenges resulting from the long and suffocating blockade imposed on Palestinians in Gaza, which is home to about 2.4 million Palestinians, of whom approximately 70% are registered refugees with the official records of UNRWA.
This partnership project between the IUG and the Institute of Education at the University College London represents an essential step towards international cooperation and the exchange of expertise in the field of education, which would contribute to developing the education sector in Gaza and benefit Palestinian students and refugees. It also underscores the significance of building international partnerships to overcome the obstacles facing higher education in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where students and educational institutions face tremendous challenges in accessing resources and facilities due to the blockade.