{"id":16208,"date":"2025-06-03T16:42:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sowtna.com\/?p=16208"},"modified":"2025-06-03T16:42:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:42:23","slug":"al-qasemi-college-in-a-local-and-global-context","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sowtna.com\/?p=16208&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Al-Qasemi College: In a Local and Global Context"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cEvery year, 70,000 Arab students enroll in higher education institutions \u2014 about 50,000\u201358,000 in Israel and another 10,000\u201320,000 abroad.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spoke with Professor Muhammad Amara, President of Al-Qasemi College \u2014 one of the leading academic institutions in the Arab Triangle, located on the Green Line in Baqa al-Gharbiyya \u2014 about the challenges facing education in Arab society. Here\u2019s what he told us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArab society in Israel is in a unique situation: on one hand \u2014 rapid growth in student numbers, professional development, and global mobility; on the other \u2014 systemic underfunding, discrimination, and bureaucratic barriers.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current state of Arab society, he explains, consists of four concentric \u201ccircles\u201d of reality, each of which affects the development of education:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Arab Society Itself:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn one hand, Arab society is advancing phenomenally in all areas. We have names and leaders in interdisciplinary fields. On the other hand, the media focuses only on violence and crime in Arab society. But Arab society is very diverse, very complex, and far from homogeneous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Israeli Society as a Whole:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsraeli society is currently undergoing upheaval \u2014 and it affects everyone: Arabs, Jews, Ashkenazim, Haredim\u2026 This is a circle we must deal with. As educators, we cannot ignore it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The Global Context:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are citizens of the world. What does that mean? It means I have to equip my graduate with the knowledge and skills to navigate today\u2019s realities and truly become a global citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Artificial Intelligence:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a challenge we all feel. Our lecturers don\u2019t yet know what to do with it. We, like the rest of the world, are figuring it out as we go. We are integrating AI into the education process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Language Barrier as a Hidden Form of Exclusion:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn Arab child comes to school, learns Hebrew with difficulty, and later enters college or university \u2014 only to be told to pass the YAEL Hebrew proficiency exam\u2026 and he fails.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This language barrier structurally excludes Arab youth from higher education. Al-Qasemi College finances Hebrew language courses from its own budget, but this is not enough. Without state support, many young people are left out of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employment and Brain Drain:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTen thousand students study in Jenin, in Nablus, in Jordan\u2026 There are many students who speak a little Hebrew, a little English, and Arabic. They work in Ramallah, Nablus, Amman\u2026 At least a thousand young people now work in the Gulf states \u2014 the UAE, Qatar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, a significant portion of young Arabs are leaving the country in search of education and employment. Inside Israel, they often face limited prospects \u2014 especially in the education sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Council for Higher Education interferes in college operations in unacceptable ways. It is suffocating us. Day and night we are required to prepare endless reports. We are not universities, but the expectations \u2014 especially around research \u2014 are the same, without the corresponding budget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Amara raises a crucial systemic issue: the lack of proportionality between expectations and resources. Arab colleges are burdened with excessive bureaucracy and lack the flexibility required for growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur society is developing. But development should not mask systemic problems. Without sustainable solutions, we are losing a generation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Amara sees the mission of his college as broader than just education:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur task is not just to transfer knowledge. The academy typically focuses on a narrow field. But that\u2019s not enough. We must prepare graduates who understand that they are part of society \u2014 citizens of both their country and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Qasemi College strives to implement this philosophy despite all limitations. But without changes in state policy, equal funding, and recognition of diversity \u2014 the crisis in Arab education will only deepen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Elena Shafran<\/strong>, Editor-in-Chief of Sowtna<\/em> and Consultant in Media Strategy and Conflict-Sensitive Communication

Photo by the author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published in the Facebook group: Free Israel \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0418\u0437\u0440\u0430\u0438\u043b\u044c \/ Territory of Freedom<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/16coZMHKkH\/?mibextid=wwXIfr<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cEvery year, 70,000 Arab students enroll in higher education institutions \u2014 about 50,000\u201358,000 in Israel and another 10,000\u201320,000 abroad.\u201d We spoke with Professor Muhammad Amara, President of Al-Qasemi College \u2014 one of the leading academic institutions in the Arab Triangle, located on the Green Line in Baqa al-Gharbiyya \u2014 about the challenges facing education in 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