Tuesday 19 May 2025, 15:00-16:00 BST
This webinar, organised by Friends of Palestinian Universities, will explore the impact of violence on Palestinian education – and how learning endures as a space of resilience, dignity, and hope.
This session will explore the impact of genocide and settler violence on the wellbeing of students, educators, and the wider academic community in Palestine. It will consider how education is affected by destruction, displacement, fear, and ongoing insecurity, and what this means for those trying to teach, learn, and sustain academic life under such conditions.
At the same time, the session will not only reflect on education under attack, but as a vital space of resilience, dignity, and hope. In the Palestinian context, education continues to represent survival, collective strength, and a refusal of erasure. Bringing together perspectives from Palestinian Universities, this discussion will highlight both the human cost of violence and the enduring importance of education in sustaining life and possibility.
The webinar aims to foreground Palestinian academic voices and to encourage meaningful reflection on what solidarity with Palestinian education should look like in practice.
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Speaker 1: Dr Basel El-Khodary,Islamic University of Gaza
Dr Basel El-Khodary is the Dean of the Faculty of Education and a professor of psychology at the Islamic University of Gaza. His research centers on mental health, trauma, and resilience, with a particular focus on children and adolescents in conflict zones. He is also a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
Speaker 2: TBD
Chair: Dr Amal Rammah, UCL
Dr Amal Rammah is Senior Research Fellow at the GOS Institute of Child Health, University College London. Her research focus is on characterising structural and individual determinants of health and health inequalities among vulnerable populations in the built, physical and social environments, particularly in the areas of maternal and child health.
This event is part of the Education, Occupation & Liberation series, co-hosted with the University and College Union (UCU). The series brings together Palestinian, UK and international scholars, students and practitioners to explore the challenges facing Palestinian education and its role in building a free and flourishing Palestine.
This event is free to attend, but FPU relies on donations from supporters to run programmes like this. If you are able, please consider making a donation to support access to education for Palestinians.