With decent education, generations of bright students can enter the ‘real world’ with confidence and readiness. Education all around the world is not perfect and the education in Palestine is no exception. Here are five of the many changes I would make to improve education in Palestine:

  1. Removing Tawjeehi. The first change I would make, without hesitation, is getting rid of the “Tawjeehi” system. That way, students wouldn’t be pressured and labeled into certain categories. I might not have gone to school here in Palestine, but I’ve heard far too many stories from friends and families about ‘expectations’ and ‘social standards’ that were just downright ridiculous. By removing “Tawjeehi”, all students would study using understanding, critical thinking and memorization skills rather than memorization alone. Also, everyone would be able to choose their own schedules and take different classes other than Math, English, Science and History. In contrast, they’d take classes such as Accounting, Economics, Psychology, Art and Health to gain general knowledge for what is to come in college and daily life, regardless of what they want to study later on. This could create space for teenagers to unleash their creativity while simultaneously breaking typical school routines.
  2. Improving English education is a no-brainer. There are some students who directly take ‘Writing 1’ in Birzeit University yet they don’t know how to make coherent English paragraphs, and it’s not their fault. Schools should encourage reading and writing in general, and in English, so that high-schoolers not only benefit in college, but in the workplace as well.
  3. Making Presentations. Building personality is really important in an academic environment and making presentations is a great way to make students voice their opinions. Therefore, 12th graders should make at least one presentation before they graduate to experience what having an audience listening to them feels like, and to give them a chance to express their creativity.
  4. Violence. Last but not least, this final adjustment on the list is definitely a change that needs to be done. Violence should not be tolerated in any academic environment. There are a couple of schools that encourage education by using violent methods and they should be immediately reevaluated. Education should be taught in a safe, productive atmosphere for students. No great result or high grade is worth using force.

Its time for change! 

It could be immensely hard to imagine a Palestine without the current educational system. After all, it’s a framework that our parents and their parents, and their parents, have known and dealt with for quite a while, but isn’t it time for a change? What if all the thousands of different stories and experiences we’ve accumulated over the years could spark a change in society? What if we didn’t need to wait anymore? What if we could make a difference and change how education is executed? With a strongly-built educational system, future generations can make tomorrow a better place.

What would you change about the education system in Palestine?