The meeting was held in the presence of the heads of students’ frameworks in the Gaza Strip, some authors and figures of civil society, experts in the legal and political sphere, some students and Dr. Ahmad Yusuf, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, to discuss the rationale for crisis of Al-Aqsa University in Gaza and to listen to the viewpoints of students’ frameworks which reflects the opinion of students. The participates expressed their opinions and recommendations to overcome this crisis. The head of the Islamic Bloc Hani Meqbel said that they were working hard to avoid any political fighting in the university in conjunction with the entry of a new semester, as through he supports the decision of the fees’ exemption that was issued by the Minister of Education in the government of national reconciliation but he also stressed the need to maintain the continuity of the university. Meqbel also pointed out that the bloc made several initiatives to solve the problem representing the idea that the Board of Trustees can resolve many issues.
As for, Taher Abu Zeid, the Chairman of Al-Shabibah organization, welcomed the decision of exemption fees and proposed an initiative to solve the crisis of the University that make the eligible of the Board of Trustees clear.
For Arafat Abu Zayed, the head of the Islamic Association, he said that the University has administrative problems including not appointing a president of University for five years and the acting University President has no role in University administration; instead, deputies run the university. Moreover, he explained that the University is experiencing academic problems which are the few number of teachers and teaching hours which affects the quality of education. As for the exemption of fees, Abu Zayed said that nobody can oppose the decision because the University is governmental but they have to avoid political bickering back. Abu Zayed also said that the recent debate which arranged by the Progressive Student Action Front in the presence of Attorney Jamil majdalawi, and Deputy Minister of education in Gaza Dr. Ziad Thabet revealed things under the table that the university has share system in the absence of an University Council. At the end of his speech, Abu Zayed gave a set of recommendations including the establishment of the student Senate, activating unions in the University, the consolidation of bank accounts and appoint an President of the University.
The Secretary of the Progressive Student Action Front Ahmed Tanani said that the current crisis is a crisis of allocating and blackmail between the parties where students are just a hostage for both parties to achieve their gains in the university. Regarding the decision of exemption, he said that it is excellent resolution but it can be translated in the context of political bickering back and it can push students to clash with the administration of Al-Aqsa University in Gaza.
In the same context, Tanani suggested a set of recommendations which was presented by student’s frameworks after their meeting with Chairman of the Board of Trustees, a member of the Board of Trustees of the University and staff at the University, and these recommendations are : the election of the President of the University by academics to defeat the logic of quotas, the activation and consolidation of bank accounts, signing cheques of the University by specific people, reactivate the student loan fund, and payment the staff’s salaries at the University. Tanani also called to do what is possible for the success of such initiatives.
Within an open discussion involving the audience, the legal expert Dr. Abdel Kareem shubir said that he formed a draft of understanding memorandum between Gaza and Ramallah that almost unchallenged by the parties and it will be delivered today in the presence of the initiative. Shubir believes that the exemption in higher education and postgraduate is illegal and the decision of exemption will lead to a crisis in both Gaza and Ramallah.
For his part, the political analyst Dr. Akram Atallah said that Al-Aqsa University students made a breakthrough for whole generations by agreeing of the exemption decision. He added that if this decision is just blackmail, students must welcome it because this stubbornness would cost its owners frequently and serve students very much.
In addition, some attendees have expressed their opinions and expectations about the crisis and the heads of the student speaking frameworks concluded with the need to avoid this crisis. It is worthy to mention that this meeting comes within a range of meetings convened by the Institute House of wisdom Institute in trying to resolve local crises that Palestinians face.
