DOCUMENT RESUME SO 027 913 ED 413 270 Van Dyke, Blair AUTHOR Consensual Educational Perspectives in Post-Accord TITLE Palestine. 1996-00-00 PUB DATE 29p.; Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the NOTE Northern Rocky Mountain Education Research Association (Detroit Lake, Minnesota, October 3-5, 1996). Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) Information Analyses (070) PUB TYPE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Arabs; Educational Administration; *Educational Policy; DESCRIPTORS Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; *International Relations; *Middle Eastern History; *Middle Eastern Studies; *Politics of Education; World Affairs *Palestine IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This study proposed to gather, in a systematic fashion, ideas from Palestinian educational leaders about the nature of a culturally Palestinian educational system. The semi-structured interviews focused on the (1) What changes have occurred in Palestinian education since the questions: (2) What are the central Palestinian cultural values that 1993 peace accord?; (3) What are the barriers that hinder should guide education in Palestine?; the inclusion of these Palestinian values into a future school system?; (4) What are possible solutions, consistent with Palestinian society and culture, to overcoming these barriers?; and (5) What implications do the core Palestinian values have for determining governance, curriculum, teaching, and learning in post-accord Palestinian schools? Twenty-nine Palestinian educational leaders were selected by intensity sampling from university faculties, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) officials, and practicing K-12 educators. A demographic questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. Data were analyzed through the use of concept mapping. Respondents in all groups generally desire the same things for administrators, teachers, curriculum development and students. They are hoping for administrators and teachers who are well trained, democratic, and very cooperative. Also, respondents are hoping to develop curriculum measures that are relevant to Palestinian ideals and promote interaction among students and teachers. Finally, respondents want students to have freedom to express themselves in the classroom. (EH) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** 1 Consensual Educational Perspectives in Post-Accord Palestine by Blair Van Dyke 10/96 r- r1 Presented at the 1996 NRMERA Annual Research Conference M Brigham Young University W blair [email protected] A Palestinian is one who lives in what was traditionally called Palestine prior to 1948 or descends Palestinians are generally linked from someone who did. together by the Arabic language and an affinity toward Palestine as a homeland. Education is vitally significant to the Palestinian Since the birth of a Jewish state in 1948 and the people. subsequent expropriation of Palestinian lands in Israel, Palestinians have turned toward education as a primary means However, Palestinians have not controlled for survival. their own educational destiny for over 450 years. This has been a major stumbling block to the Palestinians because education is indispensable to their future as a people and nation (Cattan, 1988). Palestinian educator and researcher Fathiyeh Nasru (1994) further suggests that Palestinians need to systematically discuss and then construct an educational system whose curriculum will help insure the survival of their people economically, politically, and culturally.1 1 The phrase "educational system" as used throughout this N document connotes more than a grade structure within a school (i.e. K-12) or the administrational hierarchies of Nteachers, students, and staff of a school. Educational U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE APR) I (::) Office of Educational Research and Improvement DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL 0 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER(EFIC) r . This document has been reproduced as th,.1)tike_ received from the person or organization -5.(c__Li originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve (11 4: reproduction quality BEST COPY AVAILABLE Points of view or opinions stated in this docu TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES i meet do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy IMPFIRKAATIFIM rFAITC1=1 imrlirl 2 The educational systems that have served Palestinians since 1517 A.D. have failed to promote economic, political, and cultural stability among the Palestinian people and have, therefore, caused considerable cultural strife. Leonard (1994a) describes current Palestinian education as "an outdated, secondhand amalgam from other cultures" (p. A 14), leaving Palestinian culture as a whole at risk. system of education grounded in Palestinian values and culture, however, could curb or eliminate many problems that Nasru (1994) face Palestinians today (Abu-Rmaileh, 1994). adds that "education has to address the needs of the community and be responsive to the Palestinians' indigenous needs ("From a Personal Vision to a Common Goal," p. 12). There is an enormous gap between what Palestinians The story actually need educationally versus what they get. of sixteen year old Ala Wawi exemplifies how non-Palestinian school systems have failed to preserve economic, political, and cultural roots for Palestinians (Ghazali, 1994b). In 1991, Ala Wawi was one of roughly 600,000 Palestinian students attending Israeli-controlled schools serving Ala studied from textbooks as much as thirty Palestinians. From these outdated texts, he was taught that years old.2 systems in context of this study deal with a curricular approach to education that is based on the needs of the The essential feature of an educational system individual. is its ability to promote common values and transfer critical elements of the culture to rising generations ("Palestinian Educational Vision," 1994). 2The crux of the problem is not only the age of the text books being used nor is it the false or true information that It is also may be found on the pages of the outdated texts. 3 Libya was still an Italian protectorate, the British continued to govern Yemen, the Arab population was 132 million (86 million short of the then estimated 218 million Arabs world wide) and that the Palestinian people did not Despite constitute a legitimate cultural or ethnic entity. Ala's understanding of the true facts, he had to reproduce outdated and incorrect answers on tests if he wanted credit Such was a typical education for for a correct response. Palestinian youth. In June of 1991, in response to this serious condition of education, teachers' unions, educators, and Palestinian community leaders in the West Bank drafted a "Letter" which was circulated among and signed by prominent community In this letter the reality of the crisis is leaders. It states that "the future of clearly presented. Palestinian society in the Occupied Territories is at stake. If this trend of educational deterioration continues, it will lead to a society in which the majority of adults are functional illiterates" ("Community Works For School Extension," p.10, 1991). Jailed for Ala's life changed drastically in 1992. involvement in the Palestinian Uprising (Intifada), he was After his release on September incarcerated for two years. 3, 1994 Ala Wawi, now age nineteen, went back to school. the fact that the Palestinian people have had no say in what They books their children should, or should not, study from. have had no voice with which to counter the culturally repressive curriculum imposed upon their children. 4 This time, however, the school he attended was controlled by his own people--not the Israeli government. The events that led to Ala's entrance into a Palestinian controlled school were dramatic and welcome. These events led to Palestinian control over their educational destiny. The Historic Peace Accords and Palestinian Autonomy On September 13, 1993, a peace accord between Israelis The historic treaty granted and Palestinians was signed. Almost one limited governmental autonomy to Palestinians. year later, on August 24, 1994, this autonomy was formally granted and Palestinians took control of their own What this expansion educational interests (Ghazali, 1994a). of autonomy means is that all Israeli-run government schools are now operated and generally controlled by Palestinians. "For the first time in their long history, Palestinians are in charge of teaching and learning in their society, which means, in effect, that they are now able to shape their future and consolidate their identity through education" ("Palestinian Education in Palestinian Hands," p. 1, 1994). The Types of Schools Serving Palestinians Since 1994 Now that Palestinians do control their educational destiny, they can infuse their values and national interests into a curriculum that fosters the culture and addresses the As one economy and national needs of the Palestinians. Palestinian teacher put it: "The good thing is that things Despite the prevailing can only go forward from here. problems teachers are willing to suffer some more because they know [they] are building a nation by teaching its 5 children" ("The United Nations Relief and Works Agency," p. 21, 1994) . The three major types of schools (government, UNRWA, and private) continue to educate Palestinian children. The general condition of all three types of schools, however, has remained generally unchanged since the peace accord in Palestinians continue to implement foreign curricula 1993. through the established system because no Palestinian curriculum has been created. The critical question that now faces the Palestinian What should a Palestinian educational system people is: The answer to this question is crucial to the look like? Part of the answer may be future of the Palestinian state. found by specifically identifying a course to follow through the challenging interim period of educational reformation. A plan is critical because Palestinians "have just begun to In fifteen feel the effects of [their] educational crisis. years, today's youth will be Palestine's leaders yet . . . many of them will have graduated as functional illiterates. We are not facing this in a systematic way and we do . not have a policy to guide us out of this crisis" ("Remedial Education: A National Priority", pp. 5-6, 1992). Statement of the Problem There is a lack of systematic discussion by Palestinians concerning the crafting of a Palestinian If Palestinians fail to create their educational system. own system of education, non-Palestinian educational systems The needs of the Palestinian people- will continue. economically, politically, and culturally--will be ill- 6 served by a continuation of educational systems that do not If Palestinians fail to promote Palestinian interests. develop an educational system based on their own cultural values, there could be a heavy price exacted in terms of educational achievement, cultural identity, social progress, and political stability. Statement of Purpose The purpose of this study was to gather, in a systematic fashion, ideas from Palestinian educational leaders about the nature of a culturally Palestinian educational system. Research Questions The following questions were asked of all respondents during the semi-structured interviews: What changes have occurred in Palestinian education 1. since the 1993 peace accord? What are the central Palestinian cultural values that 2. should guide education in Palestine? What are the barriers that hinder the inclusion of 3. these Palestinian values into a future school system? What are possible solutions, consistent with 4. Palestinian society and culture, to overcoming these barriers? What implications do the core Palestinian values have 5. for determining governance, curriculum, teaching, and learning in post-accord Palestinian schools? 7 Research Design This descriptive study was hermeneutic in design with both qualitative and demographic components (Denzin & Data were collected in Palestine Lincoln, 1994; Gay, 1995). The data portrays a during February and March 1996. Palestinian perspective concerning the appropriate course and future of their education using Schwab's (1973) universal commonplaces of education (governance, curriculum, These four teaching, and learning) as a framework. components are essential to all educational efforts. The respondents were selected and the data for the study were collected and analyzed in the following ways: Twenty-nine Palestinian educational leaders a. were selected by intensity sampling (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994) from university faculties, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) officials, and practicing K-12 educators. Data were collected by the administering b. of a demographic questionnaire to determine personal characteristics of the respondents; Semi-structured interviews with the c. respondents were conducted; and Artifacts such as local journals, unpublished d. documents, editorials, position papers, etc., were collected. Data were analyzed through the use of e. concept mapping (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; 8 8 Novak & Gowin, 1984; Schmidt, 1995; Tavana, 1994) and textual analysis. Findings The presentation of the findings follow the semi- structured interview format. The consensual findings will be reviewed from question #1 and then from question #2 and Consensus, for the purposes of this study, means so on. that a simple majority of the participants mentioned or Furthermore, if the body of identified a given concept. data plus the researcher's experience with the respondents would not negate an assertion then such a predication may be used consensually in concept maps and narrative analysis This reasoned consensus (Prettyman, 1996; Tavana, 1994). should account for the accurate representation of general perspectives of respondents. Additionally, the analysis of the data as concept maps has been validated through a triangulation process. Question #1: What changes have occurred in Palestinian education since the 1993 peace accords? Three major changes were identified by the respondents: 1) the formation of the Ministry of Education; 2) curriculum development; and 3) teacher training. The following sections contain brief responses from participants that describe these three changes. The Ministry of Education The Palestinian Ministry of Education is the practical implementation of the 1993 peace accords at the educational The ministry serves as a center point for level. organization and representation of Palestinian ideas and 9 9 aspirations (Interview # 1). For example, it is the Ministry of Education that directs and guides the process of curriculum development and teacher training. The formation of the Ministry of Education marks the first time in approximately 500 years that "the main decision makers in the educational system are wholly Palestinian" (Interview #10) . Curriculum Development Palestinian educational experts agreed that there is an acute need to create a curriculum founded upon the essential elements of Palestinian culture, history, and daily life. The newly formed Ministry of Education has responded to this need by establishing The Center for Curriculum Development. The work of the center will be carried out over the next During this time "the entire curriculum in five years. Revamped along the lines where Palestine will be revamped. it will meet the needs and aspirations of the Palestinians" (Interview #1). Teacher Training In addition to curriculum development, the Ministry of Education has launched a massive teacher training program. There are approximately 18,000 teachers in government schools grades 1-12 (Interview #2). Eight thousand of these teachers do not currently hold a bachelors degree (Interview Furthermore, many who do hold a bachelors degree have #20). received no training in education whatsoever (Interview #20) . In concert with university faculties of education in Palestine, the Ministry of Education will train 1,000 10