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Clarification
from the Ministry of Education - Palestine
Date: 12/5/2001
Introduction
The Palestinian Ministry of Education (MOE) was set up in late 1994. It is a
well-known fact that it has inherited a deplorable educational situation in the
West Bank and Gaza from the Israeli occupation authorities. Since then, the
Palestinian Ministry of Education exerted a significant effort tackling the
deterioration befallen on the educational system during occupation. Serious
problems like, triple shift schools, lack of teacher training, and the dire
consequences of the recruitment practices etc-characterized education in
occupation time. However, the MOE, felt the need to develop a curriculum,
relevant to the students needs to substitute the duality of curricula use in
West Bank and Gaza and consequently to unify the education system. The plan
includes contemporary topics in areas of democracy, human rights, and children
rights, women empowerment, pluralism, tolerance. The new vision also includes
new subjects: Health, Environment, Christian Education and Information
Technology, in addition to improvement and changes on foreign language
teaching, etc. Soon after its establishment, the MOE sought the assistance of
UNESCO and donor countries in setting up the Palestinian Curriculum Development
Center (PCDC). PCDC is now fully engaged in developing the first Palestinian
curriculum ever in history. It has so far published Palestinian textbooks for
two grades only: first grade (children aged 6 years) and sixth grade (children
aged 11). For pedagogic reasons, it is planned and expected that the Palestinian
textbooks for the remaining ten grades will be produced in stages by the year
2004/2005. Meanwhile, these grades are still using Jordanian textbooks in the
West Bank and Egyptian textbooks in Gaza, which has been the case since 1950.
Many in the
international community underestimate the difficulty and the sensitivity of
producing a national curriculum and textbooks for a people which is still
suffering from a long brutal occupation and engaged in very complicated and
frustrating negotiations which will decide its fate and its borders. Many
underestimate the complexity of reconciliation and healing process and the time
it requires. The MOE has so far operated under these circumstances. It is proud
to be associated with a number of partners who wanted it to succeed in
developing an efficient and effective system of education and in the making of a
just and durable peace.
Why this
clarification
During the past three years, there has been a significant interest in the issue
of the Palestinian textbooks, both locally and internationally. The
international interest and questioning, though, were mainly focused on what
Palestinian children study at school. There was no similar interest in what
their Israeli counterparts study.
The textbooks used in Palestinian schools were under continuous scrutiny, mainly
by an NGO entitled the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) a right
wing, anti-peace Israeli center. CMIP started as a cyber institute
(www.edume.com) three years ago. It now maintains offices in Israel and an
address in the USA. During more than the first two years of its work, CMIP
looked into textbooks used in Palestinian schools. Its reports on this subject
were mainly used to argue against providing assistance to the Palestinian
Ministry of Education (MOE) and UNRWA in the USA congress and European
parliaments. So far, MOE has chosen to answer only questions or queries
addressed to it directly and officially, and not to engage in media or lobby
campaigns. We now feel that the internationally waged campaign regarding
textbooks used in Palestinian schools has been one-sided and unfair. Therefore,
it has decided to state its position regarding curriculum development in
Palestine and to clarify some claims and misconceptions in various CMIP reports
and publications.
Some important issues
1. The Palestinian problem did not start with the Israeli occupation of the West
Bank and Gaza in 1967. It started with the dispossession and eviction of he
Palestinians from their homeland in historic Palestine and the establishment of
the State of Israel in 1948 . This fact is alive in the individual and
collective memories of the Palestinians. Curricula and textbooks will not be
credible if they do not address this fact. We will not brainwash our children
and miseducate them about the past. They will have to come to terms with the
fact that the Palestinians are making historic concessions in order to achieve a
just and durable peace in their country and in their region, in preparation for
a better future for them.
2. The MOE is
grateful for Jordan and Egypt for allowing us to use their textbooks until the
Palestinian textbooks for the whole range of school grades are produced. The MOE
reprints the Jordanian and Egyptian textbooks and uses them in Palestinian
schools till replaced by Palestinian curricula which is phased-out over a 5-year
period.
3. The MOE has
avoided dealing with unresolved political issues in Palestinian textbooks. It
has not mentioned Israel borders on maps. Israel itself has not defined its
borders. The borders of the future independent Palestinian State are still not
defined. These matters will be decided on by representatives of both countries
and people through negotiations and agreements. Once these decisions are made,
and are ratified by the international community through the UN, then they will
be included in future Palestinian textbooks.
4. The MOE has chosen a participatory approach in developing the Palestinian
curriculum and in writing the textbooks. It has invited qualified academics and
educators from universities, colleges and schools to participate in the writing
of textbooks through public advertisements. This participatory process required
a lot of effort and time. The textbooks, which have been produced so far,
reflect the general mood of the Palestinian at this stage.
5. The produced textbooks will be tested in schools and will undergo changes
based on input from school teachers, the community at large and Palestinians
academicians. The MOE welcomes comments on its published Palestinian textbooks
from partners and professional bodies of all sorts. It will review this input
and introduce the changes which will, hopefully, improve the textbooks.
6. We have referred to Israel in some of the Palestinian textbooks as the
occupier this is what Israel is in fact on our land. This is what the United
Nations calls Israeli presence on our land in its resolutions. We hope that
Israel will end its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza soon. Once it does,
then we will stop using this name.
7. The Palestinian textbooks produced do not include any racist remarks against
any people. This is a big step forward in the direction of reconciliation and
peace, bearing in mind the fact that Israel is still occupying our land and
subjecting our people to various forms of repression, harassment, collective
punishment, killing, assassinations, destruction, denial of our human and
national rights and confiscation of the future and dreams of our children.
8. East Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in June 1967. The Palestinians have the
full right to mention Jerusalem in their textbooks as an occupied city. More,
the late Israeli prime minister a greed in the last Camp David talks to return
the city to the Palestinian people. They have the full right to consider
Jerusalem as their future capital and to mention this position, hope and
aspiration in their textbooks. Doing so is not incitement against any body.
9. Palestinians are Moslems and Christian so our Textbooks teach tolerance
between them. This is part of civic education. Our textbooks focus on
Palestinian society at this stage. The Israeli occupation authorities have
denied us our right to teach about our country and our people all during the
period 1967-m 1994. This teaching is part of our efforts to build a civil
society and a modern democratic state. In the textbooks we have produced so far,
we have not dealt with any other people, religion or country outside of
Palestine. But, the intention of the Ministry is to avoid all forms of
stereotyping on basis of race, gender, disability or religion. More, we expect
it to encourage the development of positive images of people who are different
from ourselves.
10. The inclusion of pictures or drawings of the Palestinian flag is not an act
of incitement. It is, also, not in contradiction to any agreements or accords
signed with Israel, as some CMIP reports state. Palestinian flags have been
officially raised on all Palestinian institutions even on places where meetings
with Israeli leaders and officials have taken place.
11. Like any other people on earth, we have the right to decide what our
children study without pressure or coercion. As stated above, we welcome
comments on our Palestinian textbooks after they are published and distributed.
12. We are producing curricula and textbooks in the shortest period possible. It
is in our national interest to do so. A Palestinian curriculum is a necessity
for the creation of one national identity and unity. We have chosen the stages
and the sequence of producing the Palestinian textbooks so that the process will
not cause gaps in and harm to the education of our children. Meanwhile, we will
go on using the Jordanian and Egyptian textbooks in grades which do not have
Palestinian textbooks. It is not possible to shorten the period required for
developing the Palestinian curriculum and textbooks. We will follow this logical
sequence, which we have chosen as a result of a long discussion.
Final note
The Palestinians need the help of the donor countries and the international community in the difficult path of negotiations
to achieve independence and
peace. The donors and the other UN member states should voice
their honest opinion about the cruel reality in Palestine as they learn it
through the presence of their representative bodies. They should not be coerced
into silence by lobbyists from any side, and to use due
process before they take positions and pass judgments. The first step in this
process is to seek and find out the truth by talking to all parties
concerned and not accepting one-sided and biased reports. We are, and have
always been, willing to answer questions and to clarify matters.
The Palestinians have the right to have a country in Palestine, they have suffered because of the inaction of the international
community to enforce the UN resolutions. The Palestinian People need support to
build an independent, sustainable, prospering, modern and
democratic state, based on their national interest and self determination. With
international assistance and protection the Palestinians will be
able to overcome their difficulties and restore hope for a better future in the region.
The MOE will continue to work for the benefit of
Palestinian children, for their better future, and for a just and durable peace
based on international legitimacy. We are grateful for those who have
supported our difficult work, noted out shortcomings, and
celebrated our achievements and successes.
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