On Wednesday November 28 a new building located opened in the Faculty of Education at the University of Bethlehem where the Center of Regional Research and Resources will be located.
The opening ceremony began with a speech by Dr. Michael Sansur, Executive Vice President of Bethlehem University.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Br Peter Bray, then delivered welcoming remarks.
Continuing on, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Bethlehem, Mr. Rizek Sleibi, focusing his words on the subject of the improvement of the quality of primary and secondary education in the Palestinian Territories.
Next, Mr. Sami Maroua, Head of Bethlehem Directorate of the Palestinian Ministry of Education, gave a speech on the Impact Improvement Project in Education.
Then spoke Ms. Pilar Lara Alén, President of the Foundation for the Social Promotion of Culture, a foundation that is executing this agreement funded by the AECID.
Later came the intervention of other benefactors of the project: H.E. Mr. Michael Ratney, Consul General of the United States of America in Jerusalem, H.E. Mr. Alfonso Portabales, Consul General of Spain in Jerusalem, and His Eminence Edwin Frederick Cardinal O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
Events later on included the blessing of the new building, a tour and subsequent reception, where, besides the aforementioned personalities, Dr. Irene Hazou, Academic Vice President of Bethlehem University, His Excellency Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Apostolic Delegate and Chancellor of Bethlehem University, His Beatitude Archbishop Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Ms. Monica Bohigues Cruañes, Secretary General of the Foundation for Promotion of Culture, and Mr. Nabil Mufdi, Director of the Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism all participated.
The building was made possible through funding from various donors present at the inauguration, whom the Rector thanked for their help during his speech.
The FPSC, by the Convention “Improving the quality of primary and secondary education in the Palestinian Territories” being carried out with Bethlehem University in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and 50 schools in the souther West Bank, and funded by AECID, has also contributed to the construction of this building, with the first unit specializing in Special Educational Needs, from being carried out throughout the process of research in this field.