Palestinian Coalition for Safe School Environment, which includes Palestinian non-governmental organizations and teacher unions, has been established in 2007 as an avenue for collecting all national efforts to improve the quality of education in Palestine, especially with regards to the quality of school environment. It seeks to establish for public policies and regulations that can ensure the right of each Palestinian child to quality education. The Coalition seeks, as well, to scale up the level of partnership and cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher education and all stakeholders in the educational sector, out of its belief in the collective responsibility of all Palestinians towards educational development.

Palestinian Coalition for Safe School Environment in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, announce today, Wednesday (14/4/2010), the launching of the Global Work Week for the Campaign for Education. The goal of this year’s campaign is to "increase budgets for education by urging governments to allocate larger budgets for education”. Raising the issue of increasing funding for education is taking place within an economic crisis time in the world, which has negatively affected the educational sector. This crisis and its implications on education was coincided with the failure of rich countries to meet their international commitments  in the World Education Forum in Dakar (2000). International reports indicate that aids given to basic education have been reduced from $ 5 billion through (2000-2006) to $3 billion in 2009, and the number is more likely to be decreased.

Moreover, international organizations, especially the World Bank, have contributed in a way in increasing the complexity of this problem, through unnecessary political and economic constraints imposed as part of the loans’ agreements. Therefore, governments are not able to increase expenditure or allocation of resources in order to achieve EFA Goals.      

This year, the GCE coincides with the FIFA World Cup 2010, which will be organized in South Africa. This will allows an opportunity to reach out for more people of the football fans, through cooperation between the GCE Council and FIFA to associate the campaign with the World Cup Games through “One Goal: Education for All”, the slogan of the Campaign for this year.

The GCE is working to remind world governments continuously with the EFA Goals (Education for All) which have been approved by more than 180 countries in the World Education Forum
in Dakar (2000). These goals are:

1.      expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children;

2.      ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality;

3.      ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programs;

4.      achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults;

5.      eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls' full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality;

6.      improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

Global Campaign for Education in Palestine

Education in Palestine has been suffering for long from systematic policy by the occupation seeking for its destruction. Despite all achievements that have been made since the Palestinian Ministry of Education took power on education, this sector is still in need for much more efforts to overcome the occupation-imposed challenges and all other kinds of challenges. such as the shortage in financial resources allocated for education, which is considered one of the major obstacles against fulfilment of the right to education in Palestine.

GCE in Palestine, organised by the Palestinian Coalition for Safe School Environment, aims at reminding the Palestinian Government, decision makers and other stakeholders with the importance of giving more attention to education support in order to achieve the EFA goals.

In light of its recognition to the fact that PNA’s resources are very limited, the Coalition appreciates its reforms and development plans which will contribute in improving living conditions for Palestinians. The Coalition calls through this campaign for fulfilment of all commitments stated by the National Reform and Development Plan, and for establishing policies and regulations that can assist in educational development in Palestine. Therefore, the Coalition calls for:  

1.      increasing budget for educational development programs to fulfil the requirements of quality education, especially for quality school environment.

2.      Increasing number of classrooms to reduce pressure and load in classrooms in line with the international standards

3.      Providing all schools with adequate libraries. Scientific laboratories and computers.

4.      Improving physical environment for classrooms (painting, windows, doors...)

5.      Improving playgrounds in all schools, especially in mixed (girls and boys) schools in order not to deprive female students from physical education classes.

6.      Developing teaching techniques in order to transform the educational process from approaching learners as passive recipients to creative and analytical thinkers.

7.      Increasing and improving teacher qualification programs.

8.      Approving fair incentives system for educational cadres to encourage them to be more creative.   

9.      Improving teachers’ living conditions through increasing their salaries.  

As Palestine shares with the World this event, we assert that this contribution comes as an indicator of the importance Palestinians give to education. Palestinians consider education as a tool for liberation and building of their independent state. Palestinians participate actively in this campaign to emphasize their care for millions of the deprived children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other places in the world.    

Activities of the Global Week for Education in Palestine

·         Press conference to announce the launching of the Global Week (14/4/2010)

·         Marathon in Ramallah (19/4/2010) with participation of school students, university students, non-governmental organizations and the Union of Police Athletes.

·         “Lesson for All” (20/4/2010) with activities organized in all public, UNRWA and private schools in the West bank and Gaza.

·         Public assembly for Parents Councils, parents, educational cadres and different civil society organizations in Jenin (22/4/2010).

·         Race in Gaza Suburbs (21/4/2010)

·         Cycling race in Jenin (26/4/2010)

·         Public assembly for Parents Councils, parents, educational cadres and different civil society organizations in Ramallah (23/4/2010).

·         Public assembly for Parents Councils, parents, educational cadres and different civil society organizations in Hebron (26/4/2010).

·         Other public meetings in different locations organized by member organizations in the Coalition in Nablus, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Tulkarem, during the Global Week (19-25/4/2010).   

Member Organizations in the Coalition

• Union of Agricultural Work Committees

• Right to Play

• Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees

• Women Center for Legal Counseling

• Palestinian Medical Relief

• Hydrologists Group

• Hurriyat (Freedom)

• Defense for children international

• Center for Early Childhood Sources

• Center for Alternative Information

• Teacher Creativity Center

• Union of Health Work Committees 

• Sawa- All Women Together Today and Tomorrow

• Mosawa (Equality) Organization

• Rural Women Development Association

• Partners in Sustainable Development

• Tamer Institution

• Mothers’ School Association

• Center for Women's Studies

 Center for Folklore Art