UKFIET has published the opening and closing plenary sessions of the 2025 UKFIET conference. The first keynote speaker was Ahmed Kamal Junina, Assistant Professor and Head of the English Department, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza. Ahmed joined virtually from Gaza city as it was being attacked by Israel.
He reminded the participants of the fragility of education – more than 650,000 students in Gaza are being denied education for a third year. Nearly every school has been damaged, many turned into overcrowded shelters. Universities, too, have been flattened, leaving tens of thousands without access to higher education. An entire generation’s future hangs in the balance.
The second keynote speaker was Yusuf Sayed, Professor of International Education, REAL Centre, University of Cambridge. Yusuf reminded the participants that in Gaza, for the last two years, a classroom of children are being killed every day. This killing is not only physical but also in every other way (relating to hopes, dignity and human rights for example).