Education project in Jericho: the school year is coming to a close

The school year is drawing to a close in Palestine. This is the time in which to look back on work carried out and plan future activities.

As is happening in schools in Jericho, as part of the three-year project “Supporting emergency education in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho” ( MAE /9226/AVSI/TOC), supported by the Italian Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ATS Pro Terra Sancta, Fondazione AVSI and the Custody of the Holy Land.

The aim of the project is to increase and improve education opportunities for 2191 pupils, 1144 teachers and 641 families, with special attention going to the poorest and those in situations of particular difficulty.

Activities planned for the three years include the organisation of more than 54 courses.

For teachers, training includes teaching methodology (Arabic, English, Maths and Science), understanding of pupils’ areas of difficulty, which may also be related to learning, behaviour and disabilities (Behavioural Problems, Learning Disabilities, Special Education) and management skills improvement (Class management, Team Work, Modern Teaching, Educational Tools).

All courses for teachers have been accredited by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and credits will be awarded to participants based on the type and length of the course.

In Jericho the programme supports 42 teachers and 1100 pupils at the two schools, Terra Santa and Franciscan Sisters. What’s more, this year, with the agreement of the Department for Education, it has included 140 teachers from Palestinian state schools who took part in seven courses (Class Management, Learning Disabilities, Educational Tools, Maths, Science, Arabic, English).

Thus this programme promoted by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, created on request of the Custody of the Holy Land to support schools in the Territories, implemented in the fertile field of education, has opened up and become a real possibility of support at the service of the Palestinian population. The programme allows for dialogue and collaboration between its beneficiaries, without making cultural distinctions; confirming that education is a fundamental and essential part of life, for people and for populations.

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