IT in Education

No. of Students Enrollment Rate Annual Increase Employees Schools Budget General Education 1,100,000 98,7% 6% 47, US$M Remarks 70% Government 50% Female 55,000 in Gov. Schools 79% (Gov.) 75% (Gov.) 81% Recurrent, 93% Salaries Facts & Figures

No. of Students Enrollment Rate Annual Increase Employees Institutions Programs & Specializations Operational Budget Higher Education 123,600 25% 13% 9, ,6 US$M Remarks 40% Open University 50% Female 16,000 Students 45% Academic Staff 11 Univ., 5 Univ. Colleges, 25 Community Colleges 75 Postgraduate programs 58 Tuition Fees, 80% Salaries Facts & Figures

Selected Educational Indicators

IT in General Education IT & the New Palestinian Curricula – IT & Technology from Grade 5-10 – English from Grade 1 – IT for grades 11,12 General framework of IT courses: – Basic computing concepts – Problem solving, algorithms, and programming – Communication networks and Internet – Multimedia and web design – Databases – Computer maintenance

IT in General Education Computer labs at schools – In every school there must be at least one computer – 641 out of 1497 school equipped with computer Lab – Min of 10 Pcs /Lab – Annual increase of 50 lab Computer Labs usage at schools: – Teaching computer courses – Educational tool for other subjects – Teacher training (more than teachers were trained to use computer) – School administration – Access to Internet, , and other activities.

IT in General Education Human Resources – teachers trained – 300 Specialized teachers – Recruitment of IT teachers Challenges: – Internet cost – Physical resources (classrooms) – Overcrowded schools – Maintenance cost

IT in Higher Education Slow increase of HE offerings in recent years – 19 programs at University 1712 students (3%) – 12 Programs at Community colleges 3034 students (27%) – Limited IT courses for non-IT programs – Limited admission capacity for IT programs

Trends in HE Enrollment

IT & the Ministry The Ministry – Network of 200 computers supported by 4 servers – Ministry buildings are linked with main buildings (wireless) –Internet service (Satellite, 512 K) – Computer Center IT Application in administrative, financial, and project management. Audio Visual Center – More than 150 teaching packages were developed (CDs)

IT & the Ministry School Net – Link all schools with school network Communication tool among school teachers, administrators, and students Loading educational subjects to support the new curricula – Link to internet at a later stage Access to students Challenges to be addressed: – Enhance school role on the efficiency of IT – Effective and efficient use of classes

IT & the Ministry PASNET – Link all HE institutions with academic & research network Communication and information sharing tool among staff, administrators, researchers, and students Link to international networks Challenges to be addressed: – Agree on common methodology – Agree on technology – Common interest among institutions

HRD Strategy in IT Any development in the utilization of human resources depends on the education system -Young Palestinian society (30% attends schools) -The vast majority of the labor force is coming from the educational system -Participation in education is very high (97% at school level, 30% of the age group at HE)

HRD Strategy in IT Strategic Goal: - Create a critical mass of IT professionals - Ensure a general level of IT literacy within the Palestinian workforce Objectives: - Developing the educational system - Improving government practices - Fostering the participation and the linkages with the private sector - Creating public awareness information technology

Impediments to positive HR environment within the education sector - No integrated plan for IT implementation - Limited number of IT programs - Slow administrative process to modernize programs - Curriculum lacks emphasis on critical thinking and analytical skills - Absence of extra curricula activities - Lack of incentives - Lack of technical support for the use of IT -Low IT literacy among staff and faculty - Poor physical infrastructure - Inefficient use of facilities after hours

The Way Ahead We Need to arrive at a national vision and strategic approach – Application of IT – Production of IT We need to agree on a clear implementation modalities among different stakeholders (definition of roles and responsibilities) We need a strong commitment from the government on its role as a catalyst, enabler, and supportive

A Proposed Process The main task of the group is to produce a draft strategy paper towards formulating an IT policy The draft strategy paper should be considered as a consultative paper that aims at raising a significant number of questions about the nature and content of IT policy; Publish the IT strategy paper in both hard copy and internet version, inviting public input to the debate on options; Drafting and obtaining approval for a formal statement of Government Policy [referred to as National IT Policy]