Education in the West Bank government schools : 1968/1969-1976/1977

Abstract

Education in the West Bank Government Schools 1968/1969 - 1976/1977 This report is an attempt to evaluate education in the government schools in the occupied territories of Palestine, excluding East Jerusalem. The paper aims at presenting the educational conditions at the three levels(a) elementary, (b) preparatory, and (c) secondary. These levels account for two cycles: (1) the compulsory cycle (i.e., elementary and preparatory level and (2) the secondary cycle. The method used in this study is twofold First Interviewing Arab Education Officials in the Education Department of the six districts of the West BankSecond) Collecting relevant statistical data from the statistics sect. of each Education Department and from statistical publication! The data generated from these two methods was studied within the developmental, comparative approach frame of reference. This means taking any area of interest as it developed during a span of time not less than five years and comparing the outcome with the same conditions of another group of subjects in the East Bank of Jordan during the same period. Comparative data on some issues was taken from the interviewees whenever it was thought necessary. This type of data related to the issues of comparing educational conditions under occupation with those conditions under Jordanian rules. The major problem that faced the researcher was the difficulty of not having official permission to obtain the needed information. However, all the interviewees saw the significance of conducting research on education. Hence, they were cooperative in responding to most of the given questions. Yet, they were reluctant in giving the information which they thought was restricted. Each participant asked that his or her name not be mentioned in the final report for security purposes. Some of them stated explicitly that they received instructions from the military officer of education not to release any information to anybody without official permission from the central office or from the military governor of the district. Due to this difficulty, the researcher was able to get the minimum amount of information thought to be necessary for this study. The only complete data available for use concerned the drop-outs in the compulsory cycle.