The Palestinian Education Act was approved this week Minister of Education for Gaza Osama Muzaini said that his ministry has managed to overcome all the difficulties they faced last year to achieve success. In an exclusive interview with Arabstoday, Muzaini stressed that his ministry has achieved success in the programs adopted last year despite the circumstances that engulfed the Gaza Strip.
Muzaini talked about the Palestinian Education Act 2012, which the ministry managed to issue after it was approved by the Legislative Council a few days ago. He disclosed that the ministry is discussing the possibility of teaching Turkish language as an optional subject next year. This year, he explained, “Hebrew and French languages were offered as optional subjects from the seventh to tenth grades of basic education.\"
The minister emphasized that “the ministry signed an agreement with Tunisia to grant 70 Scholarships to Palestinian students, graduates, and post graduates.” He also declared that the Indonesia scholarship criteria were advertised clearly and the selection of candidates was “fair and transparent.\"
A new branch of Islamic sciences including \"Quran, jurisprudence, Hadith, ideology and rhetoric\", was introduced this year, Muzaini said, indicating that this section is witnessing heavy turnout.
\"We have managed to build 45 schools, 17 of which are fully completed, and 27 will be finished next year,\" Muzain added, pointing to the need for a further 150 schools to keep pace with the steady growth in the number of students in the sector.
As for the double-shift system, the minister said \"The ministry is seeking to solve this bad system. In the meantime, the ministry plans to build a number of vocational training centers in various provinces,” stressing “vocational and technical education are open for the private sector to invest in.”
He pointed to the his ministry\'s concern for technology, as they opened 110 computer labs in schools working double shifts, and provide those labs with 200 LCD devices, as well as 100 smart boards. The ministry also issued an educational newspaper, and opened an educational radio in Gaza.
Stressing the need for developing the quality of education in the sector, Muzaini said that his ministry formed a top advisory body for Higher Education and activated the Council of Scientific Research.
Finally, the education Minister explained his ministry\'s strategic five-year plan 2013-2018, which will include several aspects of development to the educational process and the institutions within the sector.