The powers and responsibilities of the military government and its civil Administration in the sphere of education will be transferred to and will be assumed by the Palestinian Authority. The sphere of education shall include all matters dealt with in the laws, regulations and military orders listed, as well as the responsibility over higher education, special education, educational training activities, educational institutions and programs, and private, public, non-governmental or other educational activities or institutions. (Transfer Agreement, signed 24 August 1994)
On the first of September 1994, Palestinian children began the new school year with the singing of their national anthem and the raising of the Palestinian flag. For the first time in their long history, Palestinians are in charge of teaching and learning in their society, which means, in effect, that they are now able to shape their future and consolidate their identity through education.
Educationalists are very much aware of the daunting task that lies ahead in this new era in Palestinian education. The 27 years of Israeli neglect, censorship and restrictions have created a system beset with problems. Schools are overcrowded, a situation compounded by the arrival of thousands of children of returning Palestinians this year. Buildings are in a terrible state of repair, and in rural areas schools may not be available at all. Furniture is minimal and worn out. Facilities such as laboratories, libraries, teachers' rooms and playgrounds are rarely available. Sanitation, in most cases, is high insufficient.
Teaching materials are scant and uninspiring. Most teachers lack training and use outdated, traditional teaching method. Subjects such as arts education and vocational training are not available in most schools. Due to the intifada, many children suffer from social and psychological problems and lack discipline and respect for teachers as a result. Educational achievement levels are among the lowest in the world and there are many drop-outs. Teaching loads are very high while salaries are very low. Moreover, there are enormous difference between the West Bank and Gaza Strip due to the fact that each area uses a different, foreign curriculum, without Palestinian imprint.
The newly-established Palestinian Ministry of Education (MoE), composed of experienced, enthusiastic and well-educated professionals, is working very hard on solving the most urgent problems immediately, and on designing strategies and projects for an improved educational infrastructure, a Palestinian curriculum, an effective Ministry and the allocation of the necessary funding. As the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has not yet been given the responsibility for taxation, and as even the cost of bringing education back to basic levels is enormous, finance is a problematic issue, not in the least because international donors tend to fund defined, tangible projects, leaving the largest sector of the budget (running costs) to the already over-stretched PNA.
To a certain extent the Ministry is also restricted by the Transfer Agreement. This Agreement does not apply to Jerusalem, leaving the status of Palestinian schools in the city undecided; PNA responsibility for salaries is problematic in view of the lack of revenues -- especially as many of the approximately 2000 teachers dismissed during the Occupation for security reasons have request re-employment. Moreover, the continued responsibility of the military government and its Civil Administration for 'security and public order' has already resulted in the closure of a number of schools. Finally, although the PNA can promulgate secondary legislation, it is as yet not a legislative power as such, leaving many important issues to be addressed in the future.
Palestinian schooling will be divided into kindergarten (2 to 3 grades; ages 4-6 years); basic (10 grades; ages 6-16 years); and secondary school (2 grades ages 16-18 years) and will compulsory for the first ten years. Education will remain divided into the three current sectors; government, UNRWA and private schools. Government and private schools provide all cycles, while UNRWA schools provide only basic education. The UNRWA and the private sectors will retain their relative independence with control over finances, hiring and firing, setting school operational policies, and administration of schools. In these sectors the Ministry of Education will be responsible only for monitoring educational standards and quality. The government sector, which contains the largest number of students and faces the largest problems, falls under the direct authority of the Palestinian MoE.
Many parties are extending a helping hand to the Ministry. As the refugee issue has not yet been settled, and in view of the enormous task facing the MoE, UNRWA, besides continuing their existing services, will work jointly with the Ministry on upgrading schools, retraining government school teachers and other projects. Intentional organizations, such as UNESCO, UNICEF and the UNDP, ILO and the EC, are extending their programs of support to Palestinian education with projects such as vocational training development, teacher training, school construction and renovation, curriculum design, and the setting up of a data base, crucial for sound needs assessment in education.
Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NGO's) provided the experimental edge that continuously challenged and motivated progress in Palestinian education under Occupation, and cooperation between the government and the non-government sector is viewed as essential for a pluralistic, progressive and effective educational system which is relevant to the needs and aspirations of the Palestinian nation. At present such NGO's are very concerned about the shape and dimension of their relations with the new Authority. Teachers' Unions, whose activities were prohibited under Israeli Occupation, face the daunting task of uniting the splintered factional movement into a Teachers' Union that effectively represents teachers before the government.
Elaine Clark
Educational Network, POB 66, Ramallah, West Bank
tel: 02 995 6230/fax: 02 995 6231 e-mail: eclark@ednet.birzeit.edu