Ramallah – Ma’an – Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Amjad Barham and Tunisian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Mondher Belaid signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement in the field of higher education and scientific research in Tunisia. The

agreement was attended by the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Tunisia Dr. Hael Al-Fahoum, a staff from the embassy, ??and a number of the Tunisian Ministry’s staff.

The agreement aims to develop and diversify forms of bilateral cooperation and not be limited to student exchange; to include the implementation of bilateral research projects, and work to create an open, joint and effective university and research space between the two countries to enhance and activate the deep-rooted academic, scientific and research cooperation between the two countries.

According to the terms of the agreement, cooperation will include the exchange of students, student researchers, academic and administrative staff, professors, researchers,
and experts, cooperation between universities and higher education institutions in areas of common interest, and the conclusion of direct twinning agreements between them, cooperation in the field of scientific research, innovation and innovation, technology transfer and science policies, in addition to cooperation and coordination between higher education, research and innovation programs, and the organization of seminars and forums.

The agreement also includes the exchange of scientific and technical information, participation in the preparation of publications, and the conclusion of agreements related to joint supervision of doctoral theses, as well as cooperation in the field of equivalence of academic degrees, the exchange of expertise and experiences in the field of university management and the quality system, and on the partnership of universities with the business sector, in addition to cooperation in the field of information and communication technology applications in higher education; including d
istance education.

In this context, Minister Barham stressed that the agreement comes within the context of close cooperation with Tunisia in the field of education, appreciating the continuous support provided by the Republic of Tunisia to the Palestinian people and the education sector in particular.

Barham explained that the agreement aims to support education within Palestine and fulfill the desires of Palestinian students to complete their education by enrolling in Tunisian universities, and providing them with important training opportunities.

Minister Barham reviewed the violations of the Israeli occupation against schools and universities, noting that the occupation destroyed more than 85% of Palestinian universities in the Gaza Strip, targeted and destroyed hundreds of schools, and killed thousands of students, teachers and academics, pointing out that the occupation checkpoints in the West Bank restrict students and professors and prevent them from joining their schools and universities.

For his
part, Minister Belaid stressed that the Tunisian Ministry pays special attention to Palestinian students in Tunisian universities, and that Tunisia allocates the most important share to Palestine in the program to receive international students, in addition to providing scholarships to Palestinian students in qualitative fields, stressing the depth of relations between the Tunisian and Palestinian peoples, praising the new agreement with Palestine as a new building block for developing bilateral cooperation between the two sister countries.

Belaid pointed out that since the unprecedented brutal aggression on the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, the Tunisian Ministry has taken exceptional measures to benefit Palestinian students, including expanding the categories of beneficiaries of scholarships, opening university housing to all Palestinian students and following up on them, in addition to Tunisian universities and university service offices organizing many demonstrations to express support for the P
alestinian higher education sector, as well as the initiative of hundreds of Tunisian university professors who expressed their readiness to contribute to distance learning for Gaza students.

It is noteworthy that the signing of the agreement by Minister Barham comes on the sidelines of his participation in the conference held by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in coordination with the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science at the organization’s headquarters in the Republic of Tunisia, under the title: The reality of children’s education in the city of Jerusalem, and emphasizing the need to protect their right to education.

Source: Maan News Agency