2020-07-14

Gaza

Gaza / position paper

No to Discrimination between Female and Male Students in the Admission Requirements at Universities

MUSAWA- The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession expresses its deep dismay at the admission announcement made by some universities, which included clear segregation and discrimination between female and male students, by requiring a higher acceptance rate from female students compared to the rates requires by male students to accept their enrolment in some of the colleges in those universities. It is noteworthy that the determining factor in the acceptance rates between female and male students is the gender of the student, in violation of the provisions of articles 9, 10 and 26 and 32 of the Basic Law, and in flagrant violation of the provisions and principles of the International Covenants on Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the State of Palestine is bound to represent in academic and scientific premises.

MUSAWA calls on all relevant authorities, especially the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, to enforce the legal requirements by obliging the administrations of the universities that published such admission announcements to withdraw or cancel them immediately, to implement the principle of equality between citizens, and to provide academic opportunities for female and male students based on an equal opportunity, following the same admission criteria away from discrimination, and contradiction with the constitutional principles, and undermining human dignity, not to mention that we believe that such behavior entails a breach of the job duties, which falls under the umbrella of corruption and abuse of rights that require accountability.

MUSAWA also calls on all social organizations and civil society institutions, especially those concerned with human rights, the rule of law, good governance, and the fight against corruption, to raise their voices and unify their efforts towards getting the administrations of the mentioned universities to reverse their wrong and illegal decision immediately.

Issued on 14/7/2019

MUSAWA