Ramallah - On 21 September 2016 the third Education Sector Working Group (ESWG) of the year took place in Ramallah at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE). This Working Group brings together key education stakeholders in the Palestinian Territory such as senior officials of the MoEHE, local and international civil society and development partners.

His Excellency the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Sabri Saidam, updated the Working Group on recent developments made such as the curriculum reform, the new “Tawjihi” system that is being implemented in the West Bank and Gaza and the inclusion of Technical and Vocational Training and Education (TVET) modules in grades from 7th to 9th in 158 schools since the beginning of the school year. The Minister stated that “We hope to include more schools in the future, but this will happen gradually. The schools need to be equipped and more teachers need to receive the appropriate training.” Furthermore, he also referred to steps leading towards the approval of the new education law, to the situation of Education in East Jerusalem, and to the intention of making pre-school education compulsory. His Excellency expressed his gratitude for all the progress achieved and thanked the “education family for its continuous support.”

Mrs. Florence Duvieusart, Consul and Head of Development Cooperation at the Consulate General of Belgium, speaking on behalf of the Joint Financial Partners (JFPs) and as co-chair of the Education Sector Working Group, mentioned the recent school visits in Gaza and stressed the importance of the M&E report. She highlighted "the revitalization of the Higher Council for TVET as a crucial and promising breakthrough in the concerted efforts to upgrade and upscale Vocational education" and the low illiteracy rate in the Palestinian Territories. Finally, she mentioned the significant progress obtained both at primary and at secondary level in terms of providing qualified teachers, while stressing the importance for further efforts on student centered learning and the use of educational resources.

UNESCO, as the technical advisor to the Education Sector Working Group, commended the MoEHE for its effective contribution to the preparation of the Government’s National Policy Agenda setting out the vision for Palestine over the period 2017-2022. UNESCO Representative to Palestine, Dr. Lodovico Folin Calabi, reiterated that “the Education Sector Working Group is the natural platform for discussing and designing the most updated policies needed for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all Palestinian children and youth”.  

During the break, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education together with the European Union have organized an event for the International Day of Peace. A thousand Palestinian children released white pigeons and balloons from the courtyard of the Ministry of Education marked with inscriptions reading “We want to live in peace” into the air.

Afterwards, the MoEHE presented the Monitoring and Evaluation report from school districts and the indicators from East-Jerusalem schools. The event was closed by updates from the Technical Working Groups on progress made in the past three months.

In preparation of the ESWG, representatives of the Ministry, UNESCO and the main partners in the education sector, had visited on Monday 19 September three different schools in Gaza, implementing TVET, inclusive education, and special needs education programmes and located in Access Restricted Area.

The Education Sector Working Group is held every three months to assess and discuss achievements, challenges and ways forward in the education sector, also in a view of a better coordination of international aid cooperation towards the advancement of Education in Palestine. The MoEHE’s regular meetings with the donor community are prepared for and coordinated by Dr. Sakeena Elayan, the academic advisor of the Minister of Education and Higher Education.

*This article is based on a press release from UNESCO Palestine.