After the Council for Higher Educations Planning and Budget Committee decided not to grant the Ariel University Center of Samaria university status, two leading ministers have come out in support of the college. Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar has urged the Judea and Samaria Council for Higher Education to award Ariel university status, after Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz announced his office would support such a move by granting the university NIS 20 million ($5 million) in 2013 and NIS 30 million ($7.5 million) in 2014. Steinitz promised to achieve this "without hurting the existing higher education institutions," which was a major concern of the Committee of University Presidents. In an open letter to the Judea and Samaria Council for Higher Education, which will be voting on the matter on Tuesday, Sa'ar said, "The government decision from 2005 sees in turning the college of Ariel into a university an issue of national importance. This decision is still valid." Sa'ar said the Judea and Samaria Council for Higher Education had already resolved to grant the college temporary university status in 2006, which would become permanent if certain criteria were met, namely achieving academic goals. Sa'ar himself had previously stated that he would support turning Ariel into a university if it met scholastic standards and if an additional budget was allocated to the school, so as not to hurt the existing universities. One major concern over granting Ariel university status is that it would raise a great deal of international criticism, since Ariel is located beyond the Green Line. Sa'ar addressed this issue in an interview with Army Radio on Monday. "There is no need to scare the public. Ariel was a college that it is now a university center and that in the future will become a university. There was never an Israeli government that did not include Ariel as part of a final-status agreement." The Ariel University Center of Samaria said in a statement: "The center has met all the academic criteria that have been set by the recognized higher education institutions in the country. Since we have met these standards, we expect this process to end with Ariel being recognized as a university." The Planning and Budget Committee has decided not to comment on the recent developments, though it made its position clear by not granting Ariel university status, earlier this month. Its decision could be overturned by the Judea and Samaria Council for Higher Education. If so, and if the finance minister does allocate the funds, then there would seemingly be nothing to prevent the institution from being recognized as a university.
Meanwhile, National Student Union Chairman Itzik Shmuli has been disqualified by the Judea and Samaria Council for Higher Education from voting on procedural grounds, ahead of the vote Tuesday, even though he has been involved in all the main meetings there over the past two years, Israel Radio reported Monday. According to the report, Shmuli believes his refusal to disclose his view on the controversial accrediation motion led to his exclusion. While Shmuli is a member of the Education Ministry's Council for Higher Education, not all members of that council have voting rights in the Judea and Samaria council, which reports to the IDF due to the military rule in those areas.
Amos Altschuler, who heads the Judea and Samaria Council for Higher Education told Israel Radio that Shmuli should come to the meeting, vote, and then the council will decide whether his vote is valid or not. Altschuler said that Shmuli is not an official member of the Judea and Samaria council.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו