Announcements
AMIDEAST and U.S. Consulate General Celebrate International Education Week 2009
In commemoration of International Education Week (IEW), AMIDEAST and representatives from the Public Affairs Office at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem conducted outreach visits to a number of Palestinian high schools in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The purpose of the outreach visits was to highlight the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, in addition to country-specific scholarship and exchange programs offered to Palestinians through initiatives sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. In addition, students learned about the programs and services offered by AMIDEAST, including the EducationUSA Information Center, scholarship opportunities, standardized testing and English language training. Moreover, Palestinian alumni from the U.S. Department of State funded Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program shared their experiences of studying and living in the U.S.
Speaking to a group of students in Ramallah, U.S. Consulate General Exchanges Officer Alistair Baskey reiterated the support of U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for increasing the number of exchange students in the United States. Mr. Baskey noted that the number of Palestinian students enrolled in U.S. institutions of higher education increased from 261 in 2007/08 to 362 in 2008/09, a 39% increase, and added that the goal of the U.S. Consulate General and Amideast is to see this number increase even further in the coming years.
One of this year’s IEW highlights included a ceremony to award recipients of the U.S. Department of State funded Abraham Lincoln Incentive Grants program. This pilot program is providing grants to twenty-one promising, academically qualified but financially challenged students from the West Bank and Gaza, to assist them in competing for scholarships to pursue undergraduate studies in the United States.
A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and Education, International Education Week (IEW) was first held in 2000 and today, is celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. IEW is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This annual initiative aims to promote international understanding and build support for international educational exchange by encouraging the development of programs that prepare Americans to live and work in a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study in the United States. (source:www.iew.state.gov) |
