• Thursday, 02-08-2018

PTUK Launches Palestinian Governance Forum

Complementing to the message of community service and to encourage the creative thinking among the university students and the local citizens, Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie launched the Palestinian Governance Forum which will contribute to enhancing citizenship and the community and institutional values giving rise to maintaining transparency and integrity basis to establish governance in the institutions.
The launching ceremony was inaugurated in Ramallah – Millennium Hotel in presence and participation of the Minister of Education Dr. Sabri Sedam, PTUK’s President Prof. Marwan Awartani, the Deputy Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority, Dr. Riyad Abushehadeh, Mr. Khalil Riziq, the Chairman of the PalestinianPrivate Sector Coordinating Council, the Forum Chairman and the Governance Consultant, Dr. Nafe’ Assaf, the Deputy Assistant in the Higher Education Affairs, Dr. Ihab Qubaj, Palestine Ambassador in South Africa, Mr. Ashraf Suleiman and theChairman of the General Personnel Council, Mr. Musa Abu Zaid along with governmental and private sectors’ representatives.
During the opening ceremony, which was managed by PTUK’s President Assistant for the Community and Public Relations, Ahmad Ammar praised Sedam’s understanding that good governance is in viable system, commending PTUK’s role in creating a state of stability in the Palestinian higher education system after 100 years of distracted work to become an educational landmark and conducive environment for learning.
Dr. Sedam considered the launching of the forum as the finest typical achievement by PTUK to be an educational landmark that resist the occupation and enhance the effective engagement of governance.
Maximizing Governance in University Education
Prof. Awartani explained that the governance forum was first an initiative by the Faculty of Economics and Business which introduced a corporate governance courser two years ago in corporation with theInternational Finance Corporation(IFC) and the Palestinian Capital Market Authority.
The course adopts an applied curriculum based on analytical studies to disseminate the culture of governance and maximize its engagement in the higher educational institutions. This adoption was followed by the Board of Deans to establish a governance forum to highlight the dimension of the university’s innovative role to secure a developmental change in the Palestinian community.
The University President stressed importance of governance in the Palestinian universities that comes in line of the multiple dimensions that the higher education witnesses particularly towards a serious legislations reform to anticipate a higher education act, and due to the growing interest of the Palestinian universities towards internationalization, it constitutes an additional motivation to face the challenges of a good educational outcome for the individuals and the community.
Prof. Awartani also noted that particular attention will be given to the forum by the institutions and universities, pointing out that a board of directors will be also constituted to join leading members with significant experience in the field of governance.
Dr. Abushehadeh stated that the crucial principles of governance as explained in 2017 blog included disclosure and transparency, rights and responsibilities of shareholders and other stakeholders, code of conduct and ethics, and regulatory and justice systems.
He explained that the PMA developed a strategic plan to turn from a limited attributions authority into a full capacity one in 2007 which made the Palestinian Banking System to leverage the status of confidence in the PMA in addition to maintaining financial stability and rise of the profitable deposits despite of the challenging political conditions. He expressed PMA’s readiness to cooperate over providing all required facilities to serve the governance forum under PTUK’s management.
For his part, Mr. Riziq said that governance is a necessary outcome that align with the labor market’s needs, calling for reconsideration of laws to meet the governance systems with the recent needs in the labor market.
Mr. Riziq explained that the Palestinian labor market has a wrong stereotyped concept that identifies the no need of governance due to misunderstanding of the governance system and its principles.
He called for the development of the governance forum which is not only restricted to business aspects but it should be also given a priority to come up with good outcomes that involve the students in the labor market under disseminated governance culture.
Dr. Assaf explained that the university forms a best place to enhance the governance concept in the young students’ minds and that non – application of governance principles reflects negative outcomes in the capital market stability; a fact that has been shown in the recent global economic crisis.
He also pointed out that the Palestinian community needs to enhance the governance and reinforce the transparency concepts, which may require to anticipate active legal and institutional platforms.