In Israel’s diverse ethnic and religious landscape, about 80% are Jews, and 20% are Arabs. The country’s Arab minority is severely under-represented in higher education. As a public institution of higher learning, the Hebrew University has a responsibility to help advance equal opportunities to the Arab scoeity. Over the last few years we have seen a steady increase in the number of Arab students at the Hebrew University, from 7% of the student body in 2004 to 14% in 2019. Prof. Mona Khuri Kassabri is the Advisor fto HUJI's President for the Arab Society.
Arab students often face greater challenges (academic, social and personal) than their Jewish classmates, due in part to the disparities in the education systems and particularly since Hebrew is a second language for the Arab students. It is the Hebrew University’s responsibility to help these students close linguistic, academic and social gaps. To that end, the University put in place mechanisms to ensure proactively that each Arab student receives the personal attention and support needed to succeed in his or her studies.
- Faculty mentors
- Academic tutoring
- Pre-university preparatory programs
- Summer language courses
- Supportive social activities for Arab students
- Dropout prevention coordinators
- Diversity coordinators in each faculty and school
- Career guidance and job placement assistance
