BZU Professors participate in seminar to empower higher-education governance

Representing Palestine in China, three professors from Birzeit University participated in a Seminar on University Governance Capacity building for Developing Countries at Zhejiang Normal University in China.

The Director of the External Academic Relations Office Amir Khalil, the Assistant to the Dean of the Faculty of Law and Public Administration Mahmoud Dodeen, and the Director of the Master Program in Law Mohammed Alqaisi experienced three weeks of extensive discussions addressing a set of key issues related to university management and governance. The professors visited different higher-education institutions to explore means of cooperation.

Along with other 67 participants from around Africa, Latin America and Asia, Khalil, Dodeen and Alqaisi learnt from Chinese experts and scholars who tackled the Basic Conditions of China, and presented the Education Development, innovation and enterprising Education in China’s Higher Education Institutions, the Law of China’s Higher Education, Postgraduate Education and Degrees, Gender Equality of China’s Higher Education, Chinese Universities’ Transformation, China’s Personnel System and its Reform, the Change of Chinese Higher Education Admissions Policy, Higher Vocational Education in China, Internationalization of Higher Education, Appraisal and Quality Maintenance of Higher Education, and others.

Birzeit's representatives assured that learning from China's experience in the higher education and universities management and governance field comes in line with the University's comprehensive strategy in developing an innovative, interactive and modern means of teaching and learning, and methods of management.

Khalil, Dodeen and Alqaisi expressed the University's interest in building partnerships with the Chinese universities, aiming at stimulating joint scientific research, and promoting academic and student exchange, while encouraging the participation of faculty members in curricula development, academic programs and projects.

“We look forward to see collaboration with China grow in a fruitful and substantial way. Birzeit University sees great potential for developing strong partnerships and to enhance the internationalization process of our institution”, Khalil assured.

BZU has already launched teaching Chinese language for the university students since last year. Currently, BZU is working on establishing a Confucius unit inside the university campus to promote Chinese culture and language in Palestine, and this seminar surely supports and enhances our university tendency towards establishing such a unit.