GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Hamas-affiliated Islamic University of Gaza, one of the largest and oldest Palestinian universities in the Gaza Strip, has decided to lower its admissions standards to unprecedented levels for acceptance to various programs and colleges starting in July. The decision triggered a debate among academics and economic experts who wondered about the motives behind this action. Currently, the academic labor market in Gaza is severely overcrowded and there are few employment opportunities for the thousands of university graduates each year.

The labor market in Gaza is unable to absorb the thousands of graduates every year. About 150,000 university degree holders cannot find work, according to a local study published April 24, 2013.

The latest World Bank report revealed that the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip is the highest in the world, at 43% at the end of 2014.

Economist Mohsen Abu Ramadan, former chairman for the Palestinian Nongovernmental Organizations Network, told Al-Monitor, “The lowering of admissions standards at the Islamic University prompted other universities to do the same, in the context of competition to attract the largest possible number of students, something that threatens to worsen the labor market in Gaza.” Abu Ramadan added, “These actions come in the context of steps taken by the Islamic University to address its financial crisis and to increase revenue, including increasing university fees in the various disciplines, without taking into account the needs of the labor market.”