"TAG-Org" and "Al Quds Fund and Endowment" Sign Agreement to Establish 100 Knowledge Stations in Palestine

AMMAN – Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org)/ Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Society (TAG-KS) signed a cooperation agreement with Al Quds Fund and Endowment (QFE) to establish 100 Knowledge Stations (KS) in Palestinian cities. The agreement aims at providing students with cutting-edge tools and systems in the field of information and communication technology, in addition to providing them with qualifications  and widening their expertise to enable them to meet local and Arab market requirements.

The agreement was signed by HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, and Mr. Munib Rasheed Al Masri, Chairman of QFE and it was made under the patronage of HE Dr. Sabri Saydam, Palestinian Minister of Education and Higher Education.

According to the agreement, 100 Knowledge Stations will be established in distinct phases. The first phase will establish eight stations in Jerusalem which will be a model to the rest of the Palestinian cities. In these stations all digital and traditional programs will be implemented through a similar mechanism to that  applied at TAG-KS in Amman. 

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that TAG-Org’s mission is capacity building, which is hoped to be achieved in every Arab country. He noted that this project is significant for Palestine which has a special place in our hearts.

He also underscored the importance of embarking on the project through two liaison officers, who were nominated at the meeting, starting in Jerusalem, and then expanding geographically as needed and based on priority to be determined by QFE.  Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh added that these stations are not only designed for the use of computers, but also as venues for training sessions. They will issue professional certificates which will provide a means to overcome barriers and to graduate well-qualified people.

For his partDr. Saydam expressed his gratitude to Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh and highlighted the fact that Dr Abu-Ghazaleh had launched a number of previous initiatives to serve Palestinian youth and develop their capabilities. He pointed out that two knowledge windows had previously been launched at An-Najah National University and Al-Quds University.

He commended the achievements made by the Al Quds Fund and Endowment under the chairmanship of Mr. Munib Al Masri, pointing out that the challenges in the field of education  in Jerusalem and Palestine on the whole are immense .  and include the large number of policies imposed by the Occupation Forces, so that such  initiatives contribute to addressing those challenges and limiting their impact. 

Mr. Al Masri expressed his appreciation to TAG-Org for this initiative, signalling the  commencement of an approach which would exploit the untapped energies of Palestinian youth, who represent the future of Palestine and drive its progress.

He added that these stations will contribute to the  economic empowerment of youth and will provide them with the essentials  to pursue their purpose in Jerusalem and in every Palestinian city, saying that the program would provide distance learning, training and employment opportunities. 

According to the provisions of the agreement, the two parties will cooperate in holding training programs and jointly issuing training certificates. QFE would provide appropriate facilities for  branches of TAG-KS while the latter would furnish these branches with the necessary computers and launch training programs according to the needs of the local community.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Deputy Governor of Jerusalem, Mr. Abdullah Siam, Representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Palestine Mr. Ahmad Al Rwidi, Mr. El Mansour Ben Fata and Mr. Nawwaf Atawneh from the Islamic Development Bank ,Representative of the International Labor Organization Mr. Munir Qlibo, representative of the UNDP, Mr. Khaled Haidar Abdel Shafi, CEO of the QFE Mr. Taher Al Disi, and TAG-KS Executive Director Mr. Tareq Hammad.

TAG-KS is a recent initiative undertaken by TAG-Org targeting Arab youth and working to foster human resource development. TAG-KS aims at providing modern tools in the information and communication technology fields. Its mission is to support a large number of local professionals to gain the  competitive edge that results from international exposure and  all of this will be provided at a one-stop-hub supported by TAG-Org experts.

QFE is an independent non-profit body whose permanent headquarters is located in Al Quds (Jerusalem) City. It was established  by a group of dignitaries who wished to guarantee the future of Al Quds City. The key objective of QFE is to ensure  the permanence the Palestinian people in Al Quds, as well as promoting development in the various sectors of the Holy City to maintain the Palestinian national identity and its  permanent presence in Al Quds.