Rowad

Rowad is a national program offered by the Council for Higher Education, funded by the Planning and Budget Committee, and operated by Aluma.

The program strives to increase access to higher education in the Arab, Druze, Circassian and Bedouin communities in Israel, so that more young adults pursue higher education. The program is based on the belief that higher education leads to better socio-economic involvement in the state and in society. Rowad adopts a holistic approach when working with youth from these sectors and with their families and societies to help them make educated and optimal decisions, and works with community and educational leaders in the local authorities and municipalities.

Ashraf Jabbour, Program Director: The national Rowad program for accessibility to higher education was expanded to include the Arab, Druze, Circassian, and Bedouin populations at the initiative of the Council for Higher Education. The program aspires to encourage more young adults from these communities to pursue higher education, and to address the many obstacles they face from high school until joining prestigious academic programs. Another objective of this program is to reduce drop out rates, and prevent students from dragging out studies longer than necessary or switching tracks without completing them.

Rowad helps young adults make the educated decisions that are best for them.  They receive comprehensive information about the higher education system and the workforce, private consultation sessions, computerized evaluations, language enhancement lessons, professional evaluation tools, preparations for academic admission exams, and workshops that prepare them for academic studies, and assistance with receiving scholarships.

The Rowad centers prove that there is a genuine understanding in the Israeli government, the Council for Higher Education, and the Planning and Budgeting Committee, in conjunction with Aluma, of how crucial it is to make higher education accessible to the Arab population. Opening these doors for these young adults, while enhancing their awareness of the importance of higher education, will ultimately yield genuine change in Arab society and make it more productive and independent.

The Rowad centers are a contact point for participants in this program for all issues related to academic studies and career development. They provide a toolkit and services that take into account the unique challenges encountered by all the diverse groups in Arab society.

The program’s faculty is driven by a sense of mission and desire to contribute to society. The team is handpicked from the community, based on the belief that providing the best service that is genuinely tailored to the needs of the population requires in-depth familiarity with that population, with the strengths of their localities, and the obstacles they face. The young adults have the potential, and the Rowad team works to tap into that potential using special tools and individual support to boost their faith in their abilities.