Overcoming Barriers, Building Links Conference 2024: Emergency Support for Palestinian Higher Education
On 25th June, the ‘Overcoming Barriers, Building Links Conference 2024: Emergency Support for Palestinian Higher Education’ took place at the National Education Union in London. Sponsored by the Independent Social Research Foundation, the School of Education, Community & Society at King’s College London, the Galilee Foundation and the University & College Union (UCU), this pivotal event addressed the critical needs of Palestinian higher education institutions amid recent challenges. The conference brought together UK and Palestinian academics, administrators, and key stakeholders to discuss strategies for supporting Palestinian higher education amid the ongoing crisis.
The conference was opened by a panel of representatives from Gaza universities, who testified to the devastating impact of the ‘scholasticide’ on their institutions, colleagues and students, which has resulted in the destruction of all universities in Gaza and the killing over 100 faculty and administrators, and over 600 students. Despite the destruction and ongoing war, Gaza academics and administrators have been determined to continue their educational mission. Speakers discussed the establishment of the Emergency Committee of Universities in Gaza to mobilise support directly to the universities as they work to resume teaching in Gaza.
A speaker at the conference, Dr. Nasreddine Elmezaini from the Islamic University of Gaza noted:
The Fobzu conference was an opportunity to shed light on the damage caused to universities and higher education in Gaza due to the ongoing war. We were also able to demonstrate to colleagues in the UK that despite the severe destruction, these institutions with their highly qualified faculty and staff, are determined to continue performing their role in delivering education online under these harsh conditions. We urge our colleagues in the UK to support us.
A list of key priorities for supporting Gaza’s universities were shared by the Emergency Committee and discussed, including public commitments to rebuild Gaza’s universities, scholarships for students studying in Gaza, and research partnerships. Other speakers during the day addressed the wider political context of higher education in Palestine, existing examples of partnership between UK and Palestinian universities and models of international best practice. The conference concluded with a call to action, urging all attendees to join in supporting Palestinian higher education by working directly with universities in Gaza to meet their urgent needs.
Professor of International Education at Cambridge University, Pauline Rose emphasised the importance of UK universities supporting Gaza, stating,
It was powerful to hear from representatives of Gaza universities not only of the scale of destruction of their institutions, but also of their on-going commitment to ensure the survival of their universities so their students continue to have opportunities to study and learn in the most difficult of circumstances. It is incumbent on those of us in UK universities to support universities in Gaza directly to enable their students to continue to study and graduate there, including through building partnerships with them and promoting evidence-based advocacy.
