The Role of Al-Quds Open University in Developing Women

Abstract

The concept of development for the Palestinians comes from the necessity

to mobilize all human and physical energies of women and men, and direct

them towards development to meet the needs of all classes and groups of

all Palestinian society with the lowest cost and least time. The family is the

productive active core of society, and women are the most important pillar

of this family. Therefore, the women's role should be activated, and they

should be given their full rights, in addition to support and promotion, in

order to promote the Palestinian society to an advanced stage of security,

self-sufficiency, and economic and political stability.

It is noticeable that the education and empowerment of women in

the Palestinian society is essential for the improvement of their economic

and social development. In addition, this can help women adapt to the

changes around them, and protect them from exploitation. The provision and

facilitation of higher education for women under the particular circumstances

experienced by the Palestinian society and Palestinian women in particular,

opens up for women career opportunities instead of being monopolized by

those with a certain level of economic and social circumstances in order to

obtain their rights and do their role.

Perhaps Al-Quds Open University was the perfect choice, since it is

considered one of the leading and most contributing Palestinian universities

to the empowerment of Palestinian women. The implementation of open

education in university education removes the obstacles of woman going out

of the house and attending university classes. As a result, education became

accessible in both homes and workplaces, and thus made the possibility of the

women's enrollment significantly increasing. In addition, the open education

system became the best way to overcome all the obstacles that women face,

whether social or economic, and what is imposed on her from responsibilities

and obligations by the multiplicity of roles.

Al-Quds Open University offered facilities for women that no other

university had offered. Through this open education system, women

have been able to match between school, work and family, and possess

the skills, knowledge, and experience that qualify them to enter the labor

market successfully and excellently. This can be verified by the statistics

on percentages of females in the university, which ranged in all the years

between (60-70) %, taking into account the characteristics of these students

in terms of age, marital status, nature of work, place of residence, and the

constraints of economic conditions and cultural, social and security barriers

that may prevent the complementation of the women's higher education in the

Palestinian society