On February 15, 2022, H.E. Ambassador Hashem Dajani accompanied by Mr. Dawood Jalloud, Counselor of the Embassy, met with H.E. Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Mr. Serhiy Shkarlet at the Ministry`s headquarters in the capital of Kyiv. The meeting was also attended by the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Head of the Department for International Cooperation and Protocol of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Minister’s assistant.
During the meeting Ambassador Dajani talked about the development of higher education in Palestine and the challenges that the students and institutions in this sector are facing as a result of the practices of the Israeli occupation that impede the educational process and its development. He also discussed ways to develop bilateral relations that serve common interests, and handed over to H.E. Minister a Draft Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the State of Palestine and the Government of Ukraine on cooperation in the field of higher education and scientific research for consideration by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Ambassador Dajani pointed out that education is a powerful tool for sustainable economic development in any country, and stressed that a long-term cooperation has been established with Ukraine, and it is necessary to ensure an official framework of mutual relations in order to expand and strengthen it.
During the meeting, the Parties discussed the urgent issues concerning Palestinian students studying in Ukrainian higher education institutions and ways to facilitate the procedures in their affairs and their safety requirements in light of the difficult and exceptional circumstances experienced by the region, in addition to the importance of temporarily adopting distance study system and facilitating in obtaining visas and enrolling students in their universities immediately upon the crisis completion.
For his part, Minister Serhiy Shkarlet spoke about the implementation of system reforms in the field of education and the measures taken to implement the Presidential Decree on the establishment of the Presidential University. He also expressed his happiness with the presence of Palestinian students in Ukrainian universities and institutes, the majority of whom study at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and Bogomolets National Medical University, noting that they study not only in medical faculties, but also in technical specialties, electronics and communications, in addition to pharmacy and aviation specialties. The Ukrainian Minister stated that starting from February 7, 2022 there are official directives from the Ukrainian Government to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine on providing the necessary assistance and support to foreign students in organizing distance studies, against the background of the current situation in Ukraine.
At the end of the meeting, the Parties exchanged souvenirs and affirmed their readiness to continue strengthening the relations of constructive cooperation that is in the interests of the two friendly countries and peoples.
