Education Strategies

The Five-Year Plan (2001-2005)
A Comprehensive Reform of the Educational System

Upon the transfer of responsibility of the Palestinian educational system to the Palestinian National Authority, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education formulated a new strategy with a new vision for the future of Palestinian education potential, challenges, and objectives. This strategy was translated into the Five-Year-Plan focusing on five key areas: access to education for all children; quality of education; formal and non-formal education; management capacity in planning, administration and finance; and human resources of the educational system.

Five Developmental Principles

1.          Education as a human right: All children between the ages of 6 and 16 years old have the right to receive free basic education, regardless of social or economic status, gender, or religious belief.

2.          Education as the basic component of citizenship: Together with the family and the community, the school shall be a main catalyst for developing the Palestinian citizen’s character, moral values and social responsibilities.

3.          Education as a tool for social and economic development: Education must meet the political, social and economic challenges of Palestinian society.

4.          Education as the basis for social and moral values, and democracy: Education shall be the cornerstone for building a Palestinian society with strong commitment to ethics, principles, and openness to the global culture.

5.          Education as a continuous, renewable, participatory process: Education is a life-long activity, in and out of school, fuelled by classroom learning, social relations and communications, community activities, and the mass media.

The Ministry, therefore, adopted the approach of working cooperatively and collectively with official and non-official institutions in formulating and implementing the Plan. 

Implementation of the comprehensive Five-Year-Plan:

To translate the Plan into action, procedures and standards were prepared to insure proper implementation in achieving the five elements of the Plan:

ONE

This program aims to provide the opportunity for all children and adults of all ages to receive proper education, from kindergarten to secondary school, by recruiting new teachers, adding new classrooms, textbooks, increasing the level of enrollment in the secondary stage, and decreasing the dropout rate. The expected cost of the program is approximately $1319.7 million for the five-year period of the Plan.

TWO

The program’s main objectives in developing and achieving quality education are the production, assessment, evaluation, and enrichment of school textbooks and instruction manuals for the Palestinian Curriculum as well as teacher and supervisor training. This program will cost $35.7 million.

THREE

The development of a vocational and technical training program that focuses on meeting the basic needs of the local market, and providing the skilled and proficient workforce that can contribute positively to the national economy. The plan also offers extended learning within the framework of formal education through the introduction of technical training, as well as providing schools with the necessary equipment and resources. The overall cost of the program is estimated to be around $72.1 million in 2000-2004.

FOUR

Developing new programs for general education, pre-school care, informal education, adult education, and special education, that is available for the general population. By providing schooling for kindergarten-age children the program offers support for parents and improves the quality of education in the long-run. $9.1 million will be allocated for the program.

FIVE

Restructuring the financial and administrative systems to ensure efficient use of available resources. The program will include the school-map project, as well as reinforce concepts of strategic planning and organizational administration. It focuses on developing and reviewing policies, and rules and regulations; updating of position responsibilities and job descriptions; and developing relations between schools and the local community. The estimated cost for the life of this program is about $109.2 million.