MESA Academic Freedom Award
Palestine-based initiatives Technical Education Support for Higher Education Students and Rebuilding Hope
2024 Recipient
This year the committee has selected for its academic freedom award the Palestinian scholars, academics, staff and administrators who have been confronting scholasticide, in its various forms.
We are humbled by their sacrifices and inspired by their heroism.
There are many initiatives and programs, both in and outside the region, that have been begun to address the scholasticide. We make our award today specifically to two Palestine-based initiatives that are emblematic of resilience and continuing Palestinian commitment to education in defiance of the on-going genocide.
The first is that of An-Najah National University, in partnership with the Union of Mediterranean Universities (UNIMED) and the Palestinian Student Scholarship Fund: Technical Education Support for Higher Education Students (TESI). TESI serves as a strategic response to the severe educational challenges faced by university students. It involves the use of online learning and virtual classrooms for Gazan students. Universities from Palestine and around the world participating in TESI will offer courses, learning resources, and other support to meet the specific needs of these students. By leveraging digital technologies and global collaboration, it aims to create innovative virtual learning solutions that enable students to continue their education and contribute to the long-term rebuilding of educational systems and infrastructure.
The second, entitled Rebuilding Hope, is a Birzeit University initiative. It prioritizes supporting universities and higher education institutions through institutional synergy, university education, and the production of transformative knowledge that is locally grounded and linked to the material and social reconstruction needs of Gaza. The experimental online distance-learning component began its first cycle in May 2024, with 3800 students registering for 155 modules taught by 140 volunteer instructors from Birzeit University as well as scholars from Gaza universities. The scholars who participated in the first phase of teaching were all located outside of Gaza due to the genocide, but with their participation BZU is building a network of Gazan scholars to lead the subsequent phases. Birzeit University has also opened opportunities for Gazan MA and PhD students to benefit from funding for research through partnerships with BZU academics, providing financial and scholarly support for these projects.
We are therefore honored, in the context of the on-going Israeli occupation, regional war and genocide in Gaza, to make this award to Al-Najah University’s TESI initiative and Birzeit University’s Rebuilding Hope initiative as representative of the efforts of all Palestinian students, faculty and staff to fight scholasticide and establish authentic Palestinian educational responses aimed at supporting and rebuilding the educational sector in Gaza.