Despite the fact that Palestine boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the Arab world, higher education remains a challenge. The harsh political and economic situation, the lack of resources, and the difficulty to access educational institutions make up for a dim panorama, where only 33% percent of young students enter university. But waiting for hours at border checkpoints or staying home expecting visa approvals can turn fruitful learning experiences thanks to these four web tools that virtually ignore the land separating students from campus and support a life learning experience.
1) Audio books: Phone apps like Iqraaly, developed by an Egyptian startup, allow users to listen to audio books and news headlines, as it counts with a massive downloadable library that includes clips from bookstores and newspapers such as Al-Ahram, Shorouk News, Tahrir News, and Youm7.
2) Online free courses: Regional platforms like Tahrir Academy for young learners and Skill Academy, for university students, offer a wide range of online courses, allowing students take video lessons, prepare assignments, participate in discussion groups, and sit for exams. Skill Academy, which caters for university students, includes free courses offered by internationally renowned universities such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard and UC Berkeley.
3) IT Training: Given Palestine’s edge in the field of IT and technology, platforms such as Teeks for Geeks can prove useful to complement higher education. The website, which aims to be the “YouTube of IT training” serves as a community of gurus who offer practical courses, covering topics ranging from operating systems up to web and mobile development.
4) Apps to seek internships and opportunities. Mobile applications such as for9a.com, recently developed in Jordan, gives students and fresh graduates the chance to find scholarships, internships, and educational opportunities, bridging the gap between education and market placement. The application was created by Forsa, a Jordanian youth organization who matches the CVs received by students with the opportunities listed on the platform.
Read more stories about inspiring scholarship opportunities and ways to continue education on the Hani Qaddumi Scholarship Foundation official website.
