My vision is to educate our youth to struggle for and build the future of Palestine. Our children and youth are continuing to face the occupation of Palestine seventy years on from the Nakba. Education is at the root of the process of our emancipation. The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences aims to provide our youth with the critical knowledge and applied skills to live and work with dignity, struggle for the end of occupation, to build international solidarity with our cause, and contribute to the development of a modern Palestinian state.
I believe that our youth need a holistic education about the economic, social, and political conditions we face. Students must have a broad knowledge in order to really understand and act in the world around them. For this reason, our Faculty emphasizes an inter-disciplinary approach to education. In 2013, we integrated the economics and administrative sciences (Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Accounting, and Political Science) with the social sciences and media studies (Geography, Sociology and Social Work, Psychology, Public Relations, Radio and Television, and Electronic and Written Press) to form the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences.
We are orienting our programs so that student can best benefit from the multi-disciplinary approach. We encourage experimentation in inter-disciplinary teaching across programs.
Our teaching and curricula aim to reflect the realities that our students live. We want our students to have deep knowledge about the Palestinian historical rights and international resolutions, contemporary national and international developments, and economic realities. Each department of our program contributes to helping students understand the big picture. Our programs are continuously in a process of development to best reflect the realities the youth face. 40% of our youth are unemployed upon graduation. The ability of the existing economy to absorb university graduates is limited. For this reason, our program in economics and administrative sciences aims to build the skills of independence and entrepreneurship so that students can be innovative, resourceful, and be well-qualified for employment in countries of the region. Our programs in the social sciences help students engage with the political and societal problems we face today. The programs integrate theory, history, and practical field work so that students can develop a critical and broad analytical capacity and the confidence to effectively intervene in communities and in service of our national struggle. Our media studies programs train students in journalism, radio and television communication, social media, and public relations. With the decline in print media and readership, educating our youth to become highly qualified in modern methods and technologies of social communication and public relations is essential for their future success and to spread awareness about our national cause.
I believe that education is a process of bridging worlds. One important bridge is the link between theoretical and applied knowledge. Many of our programs integrate courses on theory and applied training by requiring field work and practical experience as part of the student education. We have established relations with leading institutions and organizations in Palestine and outside, through which students can benefit from the diverse opportunities for scholarships, internships, job training, public seminars, conferences, and exchange programs.
We also aim to bridge Palestine with the world. We want our students to have an education that offers global perspectives and the opportunities to continue their higher education outside. Many of our professors in the Faculty are highly successful former students, who continued their higher studies in Eastern and Western Europe, United States, Russia, Southeast Asia, Britain etc. This is one of the outstanding strengths of our faculty, who collectively bring a diversity of pedagogical approaches and wealth of experience for the benefit of our students. We have been building international cooperation with programs such as International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTA). Annually, training opportunities are organized for our students in India, Pakistan, Europe, and Latin America. We also welcome students from these countries and provide them with training. The university also offer scholarships to our best students for Master’s and Doctoral studies abroad with the opportunity to teach at our Faculty after completion of their studies.
Our Faculty is part of the top educational institution in Palestine, and our Vision is to be competitive at the regional and international level. We are creating a dynamic learning environment for students and faculty from Palestine and abroad. We are actively seeking to further build our international collaboration with universities, research centers, governmental institutions, and private sector. Areas of cooperation we would like to explore include student exchange programs, student work programs, professor exchange programs, and research twinning. We welcome international colleagues and students to be part of our Faculty. We encourage new courses with English language instruction. International students and faculty can benefit from the university’s new language center for non-Arabic speakers. Teaching and studying in occupied Palestine can be an immensely rewarding experience, and we invite you to be part of a dynamic process of building the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at An-Najah National University.
In closing, I want to welcome all students and colleagues who share the spirit that education is the key for our youth to make lasting contributions in our world!