Photo by Brynn Ruba: Pierre Beaudet speaking at the Ideologies in Education conference.
The World Education Forum (WEF) closed on Sunday, with hundreds gathered at the closing ceremonies in Ramallah. The forum was held from October 28-31, with events taking place in the West Bank and Gaza, and a sister conference convened in Lebanon for those who were refused an Israeli visa.
Hebron, Bethlehem, Nabus, Jenin, Jaffa, Haifa and Jerusalem also hosted conferences on topics ranging from education as a tool for resistance, to education and the Palestinian prison experience.
Government officials and major education bodies were in attendance, with the latter represented by the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Bank. UNESCO is leading the Education for All campaign, a global movement aiming to provide minimum education standards for students across the world by 2015. These include free and compulsory education for all children, with a focus on those in difficult circumstances.
The WEF’s surprising choice of Palestine to host the 2010 conference was made in recognition of Palestine’s commitment to educational focus and evolution. Palestine is living up to the forum’s theme entitled Education for Change, through eliminating gender disparities and focusing on adaptability in education, while ensuring preservation of cultural and historical values.
The educational system of Palestine is precarious. The Israeli occupation has caused the closure of many schools, interruption of school schedules, and movement restrictions that violate students’ right to an education. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where many schools were destroyed by the Israeli military. A shortage of building supplies due to the blockade have made rebuilding the schools impossible, and limit access to essential school supplies, including desks and textbooks. The continued lack of funding for teachers and facilities throughout the territories has resulted in overcrowding, with class sizes of 50 now common.
Adbul Hakeem, head of the Ministry of Education, illustrated the scale of the task they face. “Despite all the problems we face under Israeli invasions: obstacles to [building] development, arresting of teachers, imprisonment of students, the terrorising of our kids, education goes forward. We insist that education will stay at the top of our priority list.”
Hakeem stressed that education is integral to building sustainable economic and social development, and the main tool in improving the quality of life for Palestinians. He explained, “Through education we will become a prosperous nation, and will obtain a life that allows us to live in freedom. We are a people who can live and learn despite the problems we encounter. We will continue to improve education, so that future generations can live peacefully.”
Dr. Ronaldo Cameron, former president of the Teachers’ Federation, expanded on the theme during two conferences on Friday morning, entitled Education, Arts, Culture and Identity; and Ideologies in Education. Cameron discussed the necessity of the autonomy of scholars, the separation of education from political interference and economic interests, and the importance of educating students to be democratically engaged. “The capacity of a student to criticise what is going on around him or her is crucial. The right of education goes with the right of self-determination.”
Sociology Professor Pierre Beaudet spoke about the advantages of pluralism in Palestinian education, and the complexity of Palestinian educational development. “We need liberation for comprehensive education. But we need education for liberation.” Dr. Abed Al Shaeik warned against the danger of over-emphasising international values on a population still forming its own identity.
Plenary meetings to analyse the results of the activities took place on Sunday morning, as well as a public dialogue meeting to discuss the event.