The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education is entrusted with overseeing and developing education in Palestine in all its stages, from education in public schools to universities and institutions of higher learning. The ministry strives to provide educational opportunities to all those who are of school age and to improve the quality of education and bring it up to date with the current requirements. This also entails the development and empowerment of the human resources engaged in education so that they can turn out highly qualified citizens who are able to assume various responsibilities.

The Palestinian National Authority assumed the responsibility for education in Palestine in 1994, the year that saw the creation of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. In 1996 higher education was entrusted to a separate ministry, which became known as the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research but a ministerial reshuffle in 2002 merged both ministries into the current Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

During the past ten years the ministry has been waging an uphill battle to achieve its objectives and attain its goals despite the numerous hurdles along the way. The recurrent Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities and towns have resulted in tremendous destruction and damage to the educational infrastructure. Many schools and classrooms were destroyed or rendered unusable. The ministry itself sustained a massive destruction of its hardware and software, requiring great expense and effort in restoring its database and replacing the stolen and destroyed equipment. Destruction apart, the increase in the number of students necessitates the availability of more classrooms to accommodate the ever-growing number of students. The ministry was able to erect 390 new schools with a total of 9,589 classrooms.

Furthermore, the ministry is continuously taking steps to improve the quality of education and to introduce the latest pedagogic techniques. Introducing computers to schools at all levels has been a primary goal of the ministry. To date there are 622 computer labs at schools all over Palestine. The ministry also undertakes the publishing and printing of textbooks for all levels. It has printed so far 10.9 million textbooks. Parallel to mainstream education, vocational schools have also been the focus of the ministry. New fields have been introduced, bringing the number of specialisations to fifteen. Some vocational schools were also open to female students (in some fields), as were two agricultural schools. Realising the importance of languages, the ministry has been keen to introduce other foreign languages besides English. There are presently 14 schools that teach French and two schools that teach German. Counselling was recognised as a vital element in the well being of the students such that there are now 511 counsellors who provide their services to 950 schools. The eradication of illiteracy also remains high on the ministry’s agenda. There are 95 such classes all over Palestine, especially in the rural regions. Extracurricular activities are also the focus of the ministry, which organises various cultural, artistic, and social activities, in addition to holding summer camps and other activities throughout the year.

The ministry’s long-term plans are hindered by the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and the repeated incursions into cities and towns, causing damage to schools and making students lose schooldays as a result of curfews and closures. It also has to cope with providing new schools and classrooms due to demographic increases. Probably due to the deteriorating economic conditions, the ministry has to face the problem of students dropping out of school before reaching the mandatory tenth grade. There is also the problem of female students dropping out, especially in the upper grades, due to family pressure or early marriage. Despite everything, the ministry is forging ahead with its plans to upgrade the education offered to its citizens, in its belief that a proper education is the basis of a viable and healthy society.