It was only six years ago, when I sold books from underneath my bed
for 10 Shekels apiece, to students at West Bank schools. The book,
titled The Palestinian Society: Prospects for Development, written
by Palestinian specialists, included chapters on the history of the
Palestinian people, their culture and folklore, the economy and
prospects for development. Why was I selling the book? Because at
the time, I was managing a pilot educa¬tion project "Education
for Awareness and Involvement" (EAI), aimed at making school
education more relevant to the needs and aspirations of the
Palestinian people. The book, one of the components of the EAI
project, was to teach school children about their own history and
heritage. Such a luxury had been denied my generation and the
previous one. The reason I was hiding the book, selling it from
underneath my bed, was simply because it was banned by the Israeli
authorities. Indeed, all efforts to enlighten Palestinians about
their history were prohibited during the long years of the Israeli
Occupation.
Preparing for Life
The EAI project was started in 1985, two years before the onset of
the Intifada. The Evangelical Lutheran Schools Administration in
the West Bank, in cooperation with Bir Zeit University (through
educationalist Khalil Mahshi), brainstormed on how to develop the
educational system at the Lutheran schools. The project's main
philosophy was to promote a more context-specific education, and to
prepare students (90 percent of whom do not go on to university)
for life after graduation.
The project comprised several components. The most important was
changing teaching practices from ones that stressed rote learning
to ones that focused on the student as the center of the
teaching-learning process, emphasizing the importance of "Learning
by Doing." Teachers took training courses in innovative teaching
methods. Computer education was intro¬duced and computer labs
were established at the seven schools participating in the project.
The natural science classes were also taught in laboratories.
Another important component of the EAI project was vocational
education. Vocational workshops were created where girls and boys
alike learned the skills of metal work, electricity, carpentry, and
pottery. Students were encouraged to produce attractive items that
were sold dur¬ing annual exhibits. Home economics was also
taught to boys as well as to girls. Such courses aimed at preparing
boys, for the first time in Palestinian history, to cater to their
practical needs at home, enhancing thus male appreciation for
duties previously restricted to females. A spe¬cial booklet
was prepared on methods of food preservation, which was vital for
Palestinians during the long months of closures and curfews imposed
during the Intifada.
Environmental studies were introduced into the curriculum, and
trained teachers worked on at least 10 booklets on different
aspects of the Palestinian environment. Environmental committees
were also organized and engaged in activities to clean and preserve
the environment in West Bank cities. Today, the environmental
aspect of the project remains the most successful and has now been
extended to various schools in West Bank towns and villages.
Career counseling was also initiated in all seven schools. A number
of teachers were trained as career counselors for three years.
Later, they were charged with advising the students on future
careers. Visits to different work sites were organized and
secondary-school students were placed in work sites of their
choice. Parents and community members were called to meetings and
their involvement in the project was greatly encouraged.
Today, as I deal with Palestinian women's issues in my capacity as
director of the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC), I
realize how much gender sensitization the EAI project
involved.
Equality between Men and Women
EAI schools were all coeducational, preparing children for a
healthy, balanced and mixed society where both sexes have an equal
right to par¬ticipate in its buildup. Boys and girls, alike,
were involved in vocational education, home economics, sports,
cultural and extracurricular activities, in an effort to eliminate
the traditional stereotyping of roles in society.
Today, the Palestinian Ministry of Education can benefit a lot from
the EAI experience. The future educational philosophy of the
Palestinian Ministry of Education should respect and protect human
rights, which by necessity would encompass women's rights. It is
important, in that respect, that men and women of the future be
brought up with an appreciation of the fact that men and women are
equal in rights and in dignity. The intro¬duction of an
educational program enhancing the dignified role of
pro¬ductivity, coupled with a program on sex education and
family planning, will enrich our curricula and promote adherence to
human rights. As Palestinian women, our demand for a
gender-sensitive educational system calls for an educational
program that reflects the positive under¬standing of the
reproductive role of women, child-rearing and joint parental
responsibility. It also calls for the elimination of stereotypical
con¬cepts in school textbooks. Books that have been borrowed
from the Jordanian educational system portray women in the
traditional submissive roles, responsible for domestic duties. The
girl helps the mother in domes¬tic work, whereas the brother
and the father are cast as the decision-mak¬ers - they are the
ones who read and write. The Palestinian Ministry of Education's
newly published textbooks show a clear attempt at avoiding such
stereotypes. For example, one woman is portrayed as an architect;
yet out of eight professions, only one is dedicated to a woman.
Many illustra¬tions of mothers and teachers feature them with
the traditional headdress, reflecting the more conservative trend
in Palestinian society. The Palestinian national dress would have
been much more appropriate in this context.
Changing from Patriarchy
Additionally, a great deal of effort should target the prevention
of school dropout of girls. Although during the Intifada the rate
of school dropout among boys ran higher than among girls, school
dropout of girls remains to be addressed. The male dropout was
caused by mere economic condi¬tions; whereas female dropout
stems from a variety of other reasons. In Palestinian society, for
example, females are still expected to marry at a very young age;
thus, educational opportunities are stressed for boys, the future
bread-winners in their families. Furthermore, females who are
married at a young age are dismissed from school. These practices
in effect violate two human rights: the right to education and the
right to choose one's partner in marriage.
Another reason for the dropout of girls lies in the lack of
secondary schools in many Palestinian rural areas. The "honor"
concept in Palestinian society leads families to restrict their
daughters' mobility, thus preventing them from attending school
outside their own villages. A boy, on the other hand, is allowed
and even encouraged to study in a distant town. Therefore, it is
crucial that the Palestinian Ministry of Education build more
secondary schools for girls in remote villages.
A lot of work is required in order to change Palestinian society
from one of ultimate patriarchy to one that is gender-sensitive and
conscious of human rights. For Palestinian women, this is a dream
and a revolution. Dreams may be realized if enough effort is
exerted in the right direction, using the right means. The
revolution should start with our educational system.