February-2010

Issue No. 142, February 2010 Education: the Unifier, the Healer ..................................................................................4 The long holiday season is finally over and we are back now for some serious A Holistic Approach to Educational Reform ...................................................................6 business, before the arrival of spring and the next major holiday, namely Easter. Education in Palestine… .............................................................................................12 Serious efforts need to be exerted on the political front to get us out of our internal An Overview of the Educational System in Palestine ..................................................14 mess. As both sides can see by now, no breakthrough can take place unless we Radical Academics ......................................................................................................18 project a united front to the outside world. The old adage, “united we stand, divided Palestinian Science and Technology Curriculum .........................................................24 we fall,” still holds true. An Innovative Approach to Improving Education in the West Bank .............................28 One year after the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, the Strip remains the tightly controlled Education: The Last Frontier of Sumud .......................................................................32 prison that it is. Israel – and everyone else – must realise that the situation will flare up Visions and Views of the Faisal Husseini Foundation .................................................36 again if no improvement in the living conditions of the people there is made. The Gaza The Right to Inclusive Education Eventually Becomes a Reality… .............................40 Strip must have a border that is continuously open for the passage of persons and “Green-Schools” in the Palestinian Territory ................................................................42 goods. This will undoubtedly diffuse some of the pent-up tension that is rife over there. The Right to Stop the Wall ...........................................................................................46 Education and the Palestinian school system are the focus of this month’s issue Wajd Music Group .......................................................................................................52 of This Week in Palestine. While Palestine fares well in its literacy rate compared Gaza Graffiti ................................................................................................................54 to other Arab countries, its educational system needs updating and overhauling. To Khirbet al-Karmil ..........................................................................................................58 start with, textbooks need to be revised in order to shift the focus from learning by In the Limelight ............................................................................................................60 heart and memorising the material to more analytical thinking and questioning. Rote Reviews .......................................................................................................................66 education is out and not in keeping with the technological age in which we are living. Events ..........................................................................................................................68 That a school has a computer lab is no sign of modernity and quality education. Teachers need to be re-trained in the new approaches and ways of thinking. (While Listings ...................................................................................................................74-90 on the subject of teachers, I have always felt that teachers are grossly underpaid. This Maps and Where to Go? ........................................................................................91-97 is a world-wide phenomenon but especially so in Palestine. Better compensation will The Last Word .............................................................................................................98 motivate the teachers and attract qualified persons to the profession.) Picturesque Palestine .................................................................................................99 We are honoured to have a contribution on the subject from Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan. Read the other valuable contributions and articles on the subject, and on other topics. While winter is by no means over yet, the days are becoming longer, giving us more time to be outdoors enjoying ourselves (hopefully). Venture out more to catch a movie or a concert, a bite with friends, or simply to take a stroll. Telefax: + 970/2-2-2951262 Tony A. Khoury Editor-in-chief e-mail: [email protected] www.thisweekinpalestine.com Printed by Studio Alpha, Al-Ram, Jerusalem Forthcoming Issues: Binding by Al-Asdika', Al-Ram, Jerusalem • Palestinian Customs for Social Occasions Distributed by - March 2010 • Jericho, Palestine - April 2010 Theme: The School System in Palestine Cover: Photo courtesy of Islamic Development Bank by Steve Sabella. • Agriculture in Palestine - May 2010 Advisory Board Prof. Marwan Awartani Simon Kouba Chairman, Arab Foundations Forum Simon Kouba Consultants Samah Qumsieh Awad Mahdi Al Masri The views of all the articles do not neccessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Arab Hotel Association Al Ayyam Newspaper Maps herein have been prepared solely for the convenience of the reader; the designations and presentation of material do not imply any expression of opinion of This Week in Palestine, its publisher, editor, and its Jamal Haddad advisory board as to the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or of the authorities thereof, or as Rana Nashashibi to the delimitation of boundaries or national affiliation. Palestine Investment Fund Palestinian Counseling Center 2 3 Education: the Unifier, the Healer By Rania Al Abdullah Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Access to quality education, well-equipped to students to provide a space to learn. And And yet, even this spirit, this classrooms, and motivated teachers eases when there are no teachers, retirees step in commitment, cannot guarantee those feelings. That is why, against all to fill the void. education for all. Currently there are odds, the people of Palestine – parents, Pride and dedication extend throughout the 108,000 Palestinian children out of grandparents, teachers, and children – fight whole school community. school, denied an education, through for the right to education every single day. no fault of their own. Ten years ago, this Recently, I smiled at the story of one They know, more than most, the importance figure was just 4,000. headmaster in Jerusalem who demands that of lifelong learning, critical thinking, and students wear clean and pressed uniforms; Those numbers are rapidly going in innovation, not just for economic progress, shirts tucked in regardless of the fact that they the wrong direction if we hope to raise but for social and political peace. are amid a conflict zone. For him, respect for a generation of open-minded, tolerant In fact, education is the one thing that unites appearance is respect for education. young people; if we hope to secure a people in this splintered land. They know future of justice and stability for Palestine Teachers, too, have displayed remarkable that a good education equals justice, and the and our region; if we hope to heal. grit under conditions unthinkable in the West: beginning of healing between nations. some have laboured throughout the school The world needs to hear Palestine’s But with a burgeoning youth population, year without pay because of a lack of funds. story: the pursuit for peace … the desire restrictions on building new schools, In thanks, some communities have donated for healing … the craving for education overcrowding, teachers waylaid at money to the schools to help pay wages. One of … the longing to rebuild. That’s why checkpoints, and crippling poverty, ensuring the main reasons they don’t give up, according your visit here is important. Even as that all of Palestine’s children receive the to a teacher in Jerusalem, is because “the a traveller, just passing through these education that is their right requires a students push us to stay and teach them more.” blessed lands, you can help Palestine’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah. herculean effort. children by telling their story … in their What drives such determination to educate at words. Divided… partitioned… severed. So, one is mobilised. all costs? Simple: education is a defining trait of Wherever you look, Palestine is a fractured When roads are closed and children barred the Palestinian national character; it is integral Thank you. land. from reaching their schools, teachers hold to their identity, their resilience, and their Rania Al Abdullah classes at checkpoints. When schools are resistance. It is cohesion. It is the preservation Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan In fact, as you have no doubt experienced, falling apart, teachers open their homes of their culture. it is impossible to visit Palestine and not be confronted by blockades and barriers. As a visitor, it is likely you will have had the luxury of being delayed only momentarily…a brief hiccup in your journey. It is a luxury the children of Palestine do not enjoy. Too many little boys and girls begin their

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