When the
Palestinian Authority (PA) assumed responsibility for education in the
West Bank and Gaza in 1994, it marked the first time in recent history
that Palestinians had control over their own educational system. Since
1994, educators and policymakers in Palestine have faced the enormous
task of creating an entire curriculum for schools in the West Bank and
Gaza, constructing new schools to meet the needs of the increasing population,
and equipping schools with libraries, science equipment, and computer
labs.
At the same
time, the majority of international donor funding has been focused on
the PA's infrastructure programs, rather than supporting the work of the
Palestinian NGO community. As a result, NGO's have seen their funding
decrease dramatically in the past seven years. Unfortunately, the PA has
been unable to assume responsibility for services that were previously
provided by NGO's, including primary and secondary health care, early
education, special assistance services for disabled children, and training
programs for the physically handicapped.
Acutely aware that Palestine's future belongs to her children, The Jerusalem
Fund continues to support early learning centers, schools for the visually
and physically handicapped, and programs to bring computer literacy to
thousands of Palestinian children.
