Photo of an Access graduating class in Ramallah. (Photo courtesy of the US Consulate General in Jerusalem.)

JERUSALEM, May 20, 2017 (WAFA) – US consul general in Jerusalem, Donald Blome, Friday attended the graduation ceremony in the West Bank city of al-Bireh and handed out certificates for a new batch of students graduating from the consulate’s English Access Microscholarship Program, according to press release.

The new graduates will join the ranks of almost 12,000 Palestinian alumni of the Access program.

Over the last month, 1,350 Palestinian students from the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza graduated from the Access program – an 18-month intensive program that empowers Palestinian students to improve their English and build important skills that prepare them for the future.

“The Access program, funded by the US Department of State and administered by AMIDEAST, is not simply a language program; Palestinian students engage in community service and cultural activities, and they learn about critical thinking, problem solving, debate, and public speaking,” said the consulate’s press release.

These skills will help graduates from the Access program succeed academically and professionally in their future careers, it added.

One graduation ceremony was held in Gaza on April 26, and three were held in al-Bireh for graduates from the West Bank and Jerusalem on May 5, May 12, and May 19.

M.K.