What's in Palestine's first ever education law?
The Palestinian Education Ministry announced the ratification of their first law on education to bring significant changes to the educational and academic process in the Palestinian territories.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ratified the first Palestinian Law for Education and Higher Education on April 6, after the Cabinet submitted it on March 7 to replace the applicable Arab laws in the Palestinian territories (the Jordanian law in the West Bank and the Egyptian law in the Gaza Strip).
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education hopes the new law will bring about “a significant shift in the education system, promote educational development and boost the role of the local community and its institutions in this regard.”
Minister of Education and Higher Education Sabri Saidam told Al-Monitor that he was happy the law had passed. He said, “We are glad the law was ratified after six readings within the Cabinet and after all concerned parties — private and civil institutions — discussed it." He noted that he began working on this law the day he took office on Aug. 2, 2015.
The law includes 58 articles tackling all practical aspects and details of the education process. It will be enforced 30 days after its publication in the Palestinian Gazette.
