Open for Business

July 03, 2013

Established in 1990, and originally focused on the education of Palestinian ex-prisoners who missed the opportunity to pursue further education, Al Quds Open University is the only university in Palestine that practices open education and incorporates a distance learning system alongside a traditional learning system.

Up until now, this independent public university that is twinned with the Goldsmiths Student Union in London, has operated in learning centers across Palestine and even across the region, until now that is. Al Fakhoora teamed up with QRC to establish a new center for Al Quds in Khan Younis on a piece of land that was an Israeli settlement until 2005.

This project comprises of establishing two floors with an area of 1,300 m2 for each. The original project included only the construction of buildings, but working with QRC a strong review of budget and design was initiated and additionally roads, a boundary wall, landscaping, drink and wastewater networks and other infrastructure were added.

“This project brings life to the university and the surrounding area, which was nothing more than a piece of unused desert before. It encourages the neighboring educational institutions to start their own projects and alleviates financial burdens that building rentals have caused, which in turn will enable us to invest more for the benefit of the students and academic staff.” Director of Al-Quds Open University, Khan Younis branch, Dr. Salman Al Derawi remarked.

The new building, the first one in the new academic center, will host academic and administrative departments for Al-Quds Open University Khan Younis Branch, and serve more than 3,000 students annually who come from an area with more than 400,000 inhabitants.

The $850,000 project will help Al Quds Open University make a qualitative leap forward in educational facilities and thus be able to providw a more sophisticated study environment, tailored to meet the needs of students which will contribute to the improvement of the academic level and the provision of a higher degree that focus on launching their creative and innovative capacities.