At a special meeting attended by all the relevant authorities, AMAN debated a report that it compiled on the level of integrity, transparency, and accountability around the equation of higher education certificates in the Ministry of Education. AMAN organized this meeting and the compilation of the report after receiving a number of complaints that accused the ministry of either being too harsh in equating the certificates, taking too long to process the equations, or discriminating between individuals by preferring some while oppressing others.
The [system for the] equation of qualifications in Palestine has led to a number of problems; some of which have even been taken to court and the Office of Financial and Administrative Control. Some accusations have reached AMAN that describe the decisions that are made to issue accreditations as ‘abnormal’ and as being in violation of legislations that are in force in this regard. These accusations invite suspicions of nepotism and the misuse of power.
In addition to receiving requests to ratify certificates, the general administration of university studies at the ministry of education also deal with requests to equate non-Palestinian certificates so that they can be recognized in Palestine.Since its establishment in 1994, the ministry has adopted Jordanian protocols for the equation of foreign certificates. This ended in 2006 when the first Palestinian law to this end was passed. In 2014, a new law for the equation of certificates was enacted pursuant to Resolution 3 of 2014 by the Council of Ministers.
Participants in the discussion included representatives from the ministry of education, rights organizations, and some civil and governmental organizations, in addition to the AMAN Coalition team and the author of the report. At the meeting, a set of challenges were raised that surround the process of equating certificates for Palestinian students who received their education abroad. Certain critics at the meeting presented examples of a total of 17 cases where students had requested the equation and recognition of their certificates that they had received after completing their studies at a Yemeni university, only to have their requests denied by the committee due to the fact that the university in question had been closed for a long time. Despite this, their certificates were extraordinarily equated and accredited later by influential individuals in the ministry.
Others spoke of individual decisions made by some top officials in the ministry that started with replacing a large number of officials in some departments, except those who were highly experienced.
The Accreditation Department representative admittedly said that there was no clear vision or sense of direction and that there existed a problem with the output of the education system. He added, “I agree with most of AMAN’s report including its reference to the loopholes and important issues such as integrity, transparency and accountability.
“There are standards used to select specialist committees that make decisions on the equation of certificates, and these committees follow and consider certain criteria. However, the sad reality is that they cannot be trusted.”
He also claimed that the ministry pays attention to auditors and complainants, and that they spend a significant amount of time on explanations and clarifications.
Still, the chargé d'affaires to the director general of higher education added, “Although we remain exceptional at planning, there are bound to always be challenges that lie in the implementation. More importantly, there are serious problems and weaknesses with the evaluation stage and the accountability that should follow.”
He also promised that the process for submitting certificate equation requests as well as the responses from the ministry will become fully computerized. He also added that a ten-day target would be set for responses (it should be noted that the equation process for some files can take up to seven months). He added that a deal had been reached with two recognition centres in France and Italy that had connections with 55 recognition centres around the world. This will allow the ministry to get a reply on the validity of educational certificates within 48 hours of issuing a request to international education establishments.
AMAN’s report on the integrity and transparency of certificate equations pointed out that the ministry of education equated around 7,187 certificates across various academic levels between 2007 and 2014, and accredited a quarter-million certificates over the last three years. Additionally, it refused to equate 300 certificates that violated the laws in force in Palestine, and uncovered 85 cases of certificate forgery, both from Palestine and abroad. The ministry did not announce these discoveries, however, until after the relevant judicial proceedings had ended.
The report also highlights the problems with residency permits and how they are calculated (especially for universities that do not require physical attendance and only require the completion of a doctoral thesis), whether this be a residency permit for a continuous period of time, an intermittent period, or for specific periods such as term times and holiday periods. This appears to have been continuously exploited by people and circles of influence in the Palestinian Authority.
A report published by website pal24.net on the equation of certificates said that the minister requested the review of “30 files” of certificates that were previously presented to ex-ministers, the High Committee, and technical committees; some of which were refused by the High Court of Justice and the High Committee for the Equation of Certificates. Yet, in 2015, the ministry issued equations for some certificates that had been previously refused.
AMAN’s report raises two issues: the extraordinary powers of the higher education minister, and the continuous exposure of this sector to pressure and nepotism by influential figures in the equation of university certificates who do not adhere to the legal provisions and conditions outlined in the Equation of Non-Palestinian Certificates Law pursuant to the Equation of Certificates Law of 2014.
The High Committee for the Equation of Certificates is formed of 11 members and is chaired by the minister of higher education for a period of two years that is open to renewal. The law states the tasks for this committee: the recognition of non-Palestinian higher education institutions, a taxonomy of these institutions, and the equation of certificates in accordance with the set standards and grounds. Further tasks include: the cancelling of any documentations where it is discovered that the information used to issue the equation was incorrect, or some information on the equated certificate appears to be inaccurate, in addition to the formation of technical committees that specialize in academia and relevant fields.
AMAN concluded in its report that the operating bodies in the equation of non-Palestinian certificates and their accreditation face numerous challenges; including questions over the decision-making mechanism, and the fact that the Equation of Certificates Law does not outline standards and guidelines on the procedures for selecting the minister of the committee members, the absence of transparency and openness—for instance when no announcement is made about the forgery cases until after judicial proceedings have ended. Additionally, the high committee and other committees do not produce regular reports on their work, the decision-making mechanisms that they employ, or any explanations for these decisions. [Other challenges include] the professionalism of the Department of University Education (the “certificate equation department”) and its strict adherence to the legislations, in particular the article on resident permits. Additionally, another factor is the lack of consistency in the minimum requirement for high school grades in order o accept an application for the equation and accreditation of university certificates.
Participants in the workshop concluded a number of recommendations that included requesting the government to form a national committee chaired by the ministry of education and which would include legal and other relevant specialists, in order to draft a clear law that draws benefits form past experiences and should be adopted by the Council of Ministers.
AMAN’s report concluded a number of recommendations, including the recommendation that the Council of Ministers revisit the notion of resident permits in the equation of certificates, and that it is incumbent upon the committees to publish regular reports on its work, decision-making, or explanations for its decisions. Additionally, it is incumbent upon the leaders of the ministry of health to review these monthly and quarterly reports considering them part of the accountability system. Finally, the general administration for higher education must update the information on its website.
This project is funded by EU(11).jpg)
