The British administration began an education system in the former Ottoman lands which consisted of primary schools in the largest towns and a boarding secondary school, the Government Arab College, in Jerusalem. Initially, the chief role of the Arab College was to train teachers for the primary schools,[1] which were gradually being added to smaller towns and villages.[2] For that reason, it is referred to regarding its early years sometimes as "the teachers' training college in Jerusalem."[1]
For a time its principal was Ahmad Samih Khalidi, father of Walid Khalidi and Tarif Khalidi.[3] It used to be located at Bab al-Zahirah (Herod's Gate) in Jerusalem.[4] Later it was moved to Jabal al-Mukabbir, south of Jerusalem.[4] The college badge was a falcon clutching an ink-horn.[4]
Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the significance of the College as follows:
"As the highest Palestinian educational institution in the country, the Arab College was distinguished for its stringent admissions requirements and for its equal emphasis on both the Islamic-Arab heritage and the Western classical and liberal traditions....By the end of the Mandate, it had evolved into a university-level college; its seniors qualified for London University's B.A. degree, and many of its graduates were sent on scholarships to the United Kingdom."[4]
After the school was disbanded, the buildings were converted and used UN headquarters for a short time for a few years after the war.[citation needed]
A common practice was for students to visit a nearby orchard during free time, in which to study. It provided a quiet atmosphere, optimal for the rigorous curriculum. According to former graduate Sadiq Ibrahim ‘Odeh, “We grew and the trees grew with us, and now we don‘t know what has happened to them. Many must have grown old and tired and died just like those Arab college students who loved them and sat underneath them.”[5]
Alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(April 2021)
^ abcdeKhalidi, Walid. Before Their Diaspora : A Photographic History of the Palestinians, 1876-1948. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1991, 172–3.
