Elif Car
Education is no doubt the best gift a human being can receive. That’s why the Palestinians value education so much. Whilst Israel holds a 94 % of the Palestinian territory occupied and under military control things are getting hard for the population. This occupation obviously is a frustrating situation for all Palestinians as mentioned in the Arab Human Development Report 2005:
“Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and its concomitant measures continue to destroy the potential for liberation, autonomy and development, tearing away at the fabric Palestinian society itself.”
But still, despite all the difficulties Palestine has to endure every day, it succeeds in its effort for education. But the most important reason is to keep the Palestinian identity alive.
Here are some inspiring facts you didn’t know about Palestine’s education:
Literacy
With a literacy of 92.4 % Palestine has reached the highest rate in the Arab world according to PCBS despite of all the difficult circumstances.
University
When there’s years after years bombing in your country, it’s not the easiest thing to go to school like nothing has happened. But the most important thing is to feel safe when going to school. Yet 33% of students between 18 and 30 are still going to university.
This rate might look really low to any other from a western country, but we have to keep in mind that many students have been forced to leave their country because of war and are studying abroad.
Formal education
In 2008 there were 98.2 % students registered in educational institutions. This is a 17.2 % increase compared to 1994!
Gender equality
Everywhere in the world there’s still work on gender equality, but you might think that the situation is horrible in Palestine. Well, this is not true. In 2008 females made up 57% of the university registration.
There’s obviously a lot that Palestine has lost over the past years. But during these dark days the most beautiful thing is to not let go of your faith in the future. To not let them destroy your Palestinian identity, which you should be proud of. To not let go of any other thing that will make Palestine free again.
