On Wednesday August 20^th St Mary’s University College delivered a day-long online educational discussion  with school teachers from Gaza, who are now based in Cairo, Egypt.  The unique event was one element of a programme undertaken in association with Queen’s University and organised in partnership with Forward Thinking.  Forward Thinking is a UK-registered charity focused on conflict prevention, resolution and political dialogue.

Given the situation that exists in Gaza, which is one of wholesale destruction, the focus of the contribution from St Mary’s was on the potential role of education in societal reconstruction for the Palestinian people.  The contributions from the College emphasised the vital role of teachers and teacher education, trauma–informed pedagogy and international perspectives on citizenship.  A delegation from Queen’s University had travelled to Cairo for discussions earlier in the week.

The St Mary’s contribution to the programme involved academics, administration and technical staff as well as an interpreter.  Contributions were delivered by
Professor Martin Hagan, Rev Dr Eddie Magee, Professor Gerard McCann and
Professor Peter Finn.  Elias Joudeh provided an excellent translating service with great empathy as he himself was born in Ramullah in the occupied West Bank.  The College’s Senior Administration & PA to the Principal, Eilís McAteer coordinated the event and Noel Morgan, the College’s Network Manager ensured that online communication was effective all day.  It was a great team effort and a message of solidarity to Gazan school teachers who have suffered unimaginable losses.

St Mary’s was delighted to also involve representatives of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO).  Contributions to the online discussions were made by Mark McTaggart and Paul Woods.  Such trade union solidarity was very well received by the Palestinian teachers.

Professor Peter Finn, Principal at St Mary’s University College said:

“At St Mary’s University College, we feel privileged to make a small contribution to the process of rebuilding and shaping of education in Palestine. Our focus is on the role of teachers and teacher education as well as community based educational initiatives and international outreach in offering some hope to a place which has been devastated.  We are very conscious of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the fact that thousands of innocent children have been killed.

“Our approach is inspired by the thinking of Nelson Mandela about education.  Mandela recognised education as ‘the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ We do not underestimate the scale of the education challenge in Palestine and we know there are no ready-made solutions, however this collaborative initiative of Queen’s University and St Mary’s University College is based on the most precious human value of hope.”

Dr Ryan Feeney, Vice President of Governance & External Affairs, and Registrar at Queen’s University Belfast, said:

“Queen’s holds University of Sanctuary status and has a long-standing commitment to supporting education in conflict-torn regions, demonstrated through our partnership with the Council for At Risk Academics (CARA), our Copty Scholarships for Palestinian students, and by sharing expertise gained from Northern Ireland’s own journey towards reconciliation. This visit reflects our belief in the transformative power of education to heal, rebuild, and offer hope for future generations.

“It is essential that there is ongoing international engagement now on how to rebuild the Education system in Gaza post-conflict. It was our hope to facilitate this Programme on our campus in Belfast; however, the complications with visas meant this was not possible, and we will attempt to do this again later in the academic year.”