Exchange Program with Vestfold University College, Norway

Dr. Oyvind Wistrom of Vestfold University College, Norway, along with ten students in teacher training, visited Bethlehem University and the Faculty of Education on 24-29 February. The visit is part of an exchange agreement with Bethlehem University since 1994, focusing on the Palestinian educational system.

The guests were briefed about teacher training programs, Palestinian society and daily life, the socio-political realities on the ground, and the environment. They met with faculty and staff, and attended presentations and viewed educational films.

The Norwegian guests met with Brother Fergus McArdle, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Brother Jack Curran, Vice President for Development, Prof. Adnan Shqueir, Department of Life Sciences; Dr. Norma Masriyeh, Chairperson of the Department of Social Sciences; and Dr. Jeanne Kattan, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. They also met with the Student Senate.

The teacher training students from Vestfold University College visited Bethlehem area schools and kindergartens, went to refugee camps, and saw the separation wall currently being built surrounding Bethlehem. During their five day stay, they were hosted in the homes of Bethlehem University faculty and students.