Education Ministry Presents Medium-Term Sector Strategy in Workshop

Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education discussed on April 1, 2014, the ministry’s medium-term strategy for the higher education sector during a workshop at Birzeit University, which was attended by numerous faculty and administration members.

Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Fahoum Shalabi gave a detailed presentation on the strategy, explaining its objectives, mechanisms, methodologies and the most important challenges facing the higher education sector, and policies related to these challenges, as well as contingency programs to overcome them.

The ministry also held a workshop at the university to introduce the EU program “Horizon 2020,” which aims to support scientific research and innovation. Program coordinator Shalabi presented the components of the program, which has a budget of more than 70 billion Euros over seven years, from 2014 until 2020.

Shalabi described how Palestinian researchers have benefited from this program, analyzing 153 studies recently published. These studies cover more than 500 topics in various fields, including medicine, energy, nutrition, agriculture, transportation and others.

At the end of the workshop, the floor for discussion was opened for researchers and faculty members, knowing that this workshop is part of a series of workshops held by the ministry to acquaint university researchers and faculty members with the program “Horizon 2020,” first of which was held at Al-Quds University - Abu Dis, followed by An-Najah National University and then at Birzeit University.