Hebron, February 14, 2026 (WAFA) – Minister of Education and Higher Education Amjad Barham inaugurated the Al-Bukhari Basic School for Boys on Saturday and laid the foundation stone for the Al-Qastal School in the city of Al-Samou’ in the Hebron South Education Directorate, with support from the Ministry, the Al-Samou’ Municipality and the local community, and within a project funded by the Arab Monetary Fund, in his capacity as Director of the Al-Aqsa Fund .
This came with the participation of the Deputy Governor of Hebron, Taysir Al-Fakhoury, the Mayor of Al-Samou’, Ibrahim Al-Rawashdeh, the two Assistant Undersecretaries, Nasr Abu Karsh and Sadiq Al-Khadour, the Director General of Education in South Hebron, Yasser Saleh, the Director General of Buildings, Wissam Nakhleh, the Director General of Supervision and the National Institute, Suhair Qassem, the representative of the Fatah movement, Khalil Abu Awad, and a crowd of educational, community and national figures .
The central event was organized at Al-Bukhari School, where Barham stressed in his speech that the ministry is continuing to build, rehabilitate and develop schools nationwide, within the government’s policy to confront the occupation’s policies aimed at undermining education, stressing that the partnership with the local community represents a national model that enhances the resilience of the educational process and builds a generation capable of giving and challenging .
For his part, Al-Fakhoury appreciated the efforts made to strengthen the resilience of the education sector, stressing the importance of investing in the next generation educationally and nationally, especially in light of the challenges facing Hebron Governorate .
For his part, Al-Rawashdeh affirmed the municipality’s continued partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and all national bodies to build more schools, while Abu Awad praised the national efforts made by the government through the Ministry of Education to support schools in the Al-Samou’ area .
During his tour, the minister inaugurated a representative office for education in Al-Samou’, with the aim of facilitating transactions for parents in light of the current circumstances and the closures and barriers in the region .
He also inaugurated Al-Saad Basic School, which was built at the expense of the late Saad Al-Rawashdeh, and which the Ministry included in the Joint Financing Arrangement (JFA) to improve the educational environment .
Barham also visited Kamal Adwan School to inspect the finishing work being carried out by the ministry, and Rafat Mixed Basic School for Boys, where he instructed that it be placed at the top of the national construction plans .
Minister Barham’s inspection tour in Bethlehem Governorate
As part of his inspection visits to schools in various directorates, Minister Barham also conducted an inspection tour in the Bethlehem Governorate, which included a number of schools, Bethlehem University, and the Beit Jala Municipality.
The minister began his tour with a visit to the Frères School, where he inspected the school’s facilities, reviewed its educational programs, and conducted a field tour of its premises.
The tour also included a visit to Wadi’ Da’mas and Chile schools in the city of Beit Jala, where the minister reviewed the state of school buildings in the two schools and discussed completed and expected restoration work, which contributes to improving the educational environment .
The minister also visited the municipality of Beit Jala, and met with the mayor and members of the municipal council. During the meeting, which was attended by the Director General of Education in Bethlehem, Lamis Al-Zeer, the Assistant Undersecretary for Student Affairs, Sadiq Al-Khadour, and the Director General of Buildings, Wissam Nakhleh, a number of issues of common interest were discussed, most notably the provision of suitable land plots for building government schools, in addition to discussing the issue of the book warehouse belonging to the Directorate of Education in Bethlehem, located in the city of Beit Jala .
The tour concluded with a visit to Bethlehem University, where the minister met with the university president, Fadi Qattan, and his academic deputy, Iman Al-Saqqa, along with the university administration, in the presence of the head of the National Accreditation and Quality Authority, Muammar Ishtiwi.
The minister was briefed on the reality of academic work and the programs adopted by the university, and ways to enhance and strengthen joint cooperation were discussed, in order to serve the regularity and development of the academic process .
During the visit, the minister praised the efforts made by Bethlehem University in serving higher education .
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