A Statement By The Palestinian Education Coalition And The Education Sector Institutions With PNGO
The Palestinian Education Coalition and the education sector institutions with PNGO, highly appreciate the actions that were adopted by the Palestinian Government through the Ministry of Education in dealing with the state of emergency announced in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in light of this circumstance, which needs the maximum measures to face the outbreak of the Corona-virus. The Palestinian Education Coalition and the education sector’s organizations, in cooperation with the health sector at PNGO, are looking forward to making some recommendations to formulate the emergency plan for education, because we believe that the preservation of the educational process is a responsibility of all the Palestinians.
The Coalition and the education sector institutions with PNGO, believe in partnership as an approach and the consultative method, and to apply these beliefs, which govern us, we emphasize the following:
- The importance of involving the Palestinian Education Coalition and the education sector institutions with PNGO, in the development of any national educational emergency plan; appreciating the involvement of the civil society organizations in any directed efforts.
- Confirming the preparedness of the Coalition and the education sector institutions with PNGO to use their experience in planning and finding safe alternatives to education in emergencies, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.
- The importance that all the Palestinians must take actions and responsibility to support the emergency plan, particularly the private sector, the municipalities and the local authorities.
- The need to develop a partnership in the awareness campaigns for students in terms of ways to preventing and combating the outbreak of the Corona-virus.
- The preparedness of the Coalition and the education sector institutions with PNGO, to use their relationships with the International Organizations to mainstreaming the programs towards enhancing the safe environment for students.
- The emergency plan should take into consideration the social and the economic conditions of the students and where they live, and include students in marginalized areas and all schools, leaving no one behind.
- Unifying the decisions regarding opening and closing the schools in West Bank and Gaza Strip to preserve the lives of students and to prevent the outbreak of the virus. Moreover, any decision-making process must be based on consultation with the health, education and public authorities.
The Palestinian Education Coalition and the education sector institutions with PNGO realize what are the suitable interventions that are needed at this period to guarantee the access to education for all students even if it does not include all its components in this current emergency period. The Coalition has firm convictions that partnership and integration are capable of strengthening the approach that would integrate experiences, and enhance visions that fall short of this challenge. Education is a starting point for the formulation of any national vision and any emergency plan in which all efforts are integrated to provide practical and realistic interventions, must take into consideration the limited capabilities of some Palestinian families. Consequently, adopting any intervention in the emergency plan must provide equal and fair opportunity for all. Hence, the Palestinian Education Coalition and the education sector institutions with PNGO, hope that the emergency plan will address this dimension. Additionally, they point the necessity of singling out a special part in any emergency plan for Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, and the H2 areas with redoubled responsibility as these areas are witnessing the emergency phase before the emergency period declaration.
In this circumstance, we reaffirm that the partnership in formulating the response mechanisms by the emergency plan in this period of emergency, will enable us to overcome these challenges.
