The education system in Palestine
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the Occupied Territories was established in August 1994 – one of the most significant outcomes of the Oslo Accords.(1) Education is highly prized and enrolment in basic education (the first 10 years of schooling) is 89.8% with gender equal attendance. Adult literacy rate is 95.3% (2). However against this promising scenario is the reality of military occupation which has far-reaching and detrimental consequences.
Oppression, day and night
Villages are subject to persistent night-time raids which result in sleepless nights, a distressed population and widespread PTSD among children. As part of their system of control the Israeli Army regularly rounds up youths, the most common justification being stone throwing. ‘According to the Israeli military authorities, they detained 1,004 Palestinian children from the West Bank in 2013.’(3) Children have limited access to education in prison, and are also traumatized by the abuse they experience.
The military show no respect for educational facilities. During the Gaza assault in the summer of 2014, educational facilities on the West Bank were regularly used as holding centres where the entire male population of villages was held for questioning.
Headmaster Ayed Al-Qot at Urif Boys School unpacking gas-masks donated by an NGO – a response to repeated attacks by armed settlers from Yitzhar who fire tear gas
In Burin, we have witnessed the military set up flying checkpoints or roadblocks. The roadblock would be put in place at midnight restricting access to all Palestinian vehicles. As many teachers live in Nablus (11 of the 18 teachers at the Community School, and 9 out of the 18 teachers at the Girls’ School), they are unable to get to work in the morning. The reason given is always ‘security’. Roadblocks tend to disappear at around noon once the day’s schooling has been abandoned and children have returned home, losing another precious day.
These factors combine with poor facilities, overcrowded classes and in some schools a two-shift system, altogether causing a drop in Palestine’s formerly excellent record of academic achievement.
The cramped playground at Madama Boys School
Burin Community School (above) is particularly vulnerable due to its location on the edge of the village of Burin. straddling Areas B and C. Directly behind the school a settler road leads uphill to Yitzhar, an extremist, ideological settlement and statistically one of the most aggressive towards Palestinians. Beside the road, barely 100 metres behind the school fence, an Israeli army watchtower enables soldiers to monitor school activities. The photo of the school above is taken from the back fence, about 100 metres from the watchtower; soldiers regularly stroll past and antagonise the students, sometimes taunting them with their guns. In the current climate, any boy who throws a stone, or even picks one up, would be shot at, yet no-one can stop the Israeli army’s provocative behaviour.
Burin school attack in March 2018, photo by a student
Over the years, settler attacks have become increasingly violent and with the army virtually supporting them, they can act with impunity. In March 2018, armed settlers entered Burin’s school playground while the army threw smoke bombs and tear gas, seen above. Most pupils fled, some suffocated by the smoke and tear gas, all traumatised. This kind of attack has been repeated since.
Below are the souvenirs the army left behind.
Settlers have appropriated some 40 acres of school land and erected a razor-wire fence to show the new ‘border’, visible in the photo below. The school playground is beside the white wall just below. The school farm, developed in the last few years to the right of the playground, has also been targeted when the school attempted to build a shed to house sheep.
What we can do
Teaching is a stressful and demanding occupation in any country, but for Palestinians the demands are superhuman. The teachers we meet, however, respond with warmth and friendliness and deep concern for the well-being of their pupils.
A well-educated population is crucial to the future State of Palestine. In Palestine, education for boys and girls is equally valued although it generally takes place in separate schools. University enrollment is currently 52% female and 48% male, so our focus is more on the boys’ schools as the girls’ schools in Burin and Madama already enjoy far better facilities.
While as individuals we have limited influence on the political situation, we are learning that we can be of considerable help in improving school facilities in our area and so contributing towards a more positive future.
Know Your ABC – Read more here
August 2017 – Israel destroys Palestinian schools just before term starts More aggression on the part of Israel has resulted in the destruction of classrooms in four Palestinian communities of the West Bank. The justification? No planning permission. Most of these classrooms were steel cabins donated by NGOs and the EU, now destroyed. The same justification was used by Israeli authorities to remove dozens of solar panels donated by the Netherlands. One step forward, ten backwards. Meanwhile, the deprived schoolchildren are forced to have classes in stifling tents or out in the very hot open air. For more information, read this report by The Independent.
1 – http://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/201306_acting_the_landlord
2 – http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/oPt_statistics.html
3 – http://www.militarycourtwatch.org/page.php?id=ngyDwcb1QLa2853AfIyAiNViMn