Palestinian Education - The Future Challenge
This study is a useful sketch of the Palestinian education system. It examines the impact of the Intifada on schools, teachers and students and attempts to assess the likelihood of this system succeeding in teaching the civic virtues necessary to democracy. The author identifies several areas which the PNA must address: overcrowding is rife while resources and materials are inadequate and outdated; the Israeli-censored Jordanian and Egyptian curricula must be replaced by a Palestinian one; the quality of teaching staff must be improved, requiring special training; libraries and laboratories are scarce; and there is a lack of remedial learning programs for children who missed large amounts of study due to the Intifada or who are disabled. The author concludes that the education system within the emergent Palestinian entity can be expected to develop a democratic-pluralistic system and culture.