IT in Education

No. of StudentsEnrollment Rate

Annual Increase

EmployeesSchools

Budget

General Education

1,100,000

98,7%

6%

47,115

2109

330 US$M

Remarks

70% Government50% Female

55,000 in Gov. Schools

79% (Gov.)75% (Gov.)

81% Recurrent, 93% Salaries

Facts & Figures

No. of StudentsEnrollment Rate

Annual Increase

Employees

Institutions

Programs & Specializations

Operational Budget

Higher Education

123,60025%13%

9,00041

247

87,6 US$M

Remarks

40% Open University50% Female16,000 Students

45% Academic Staff11 Univ., 5 Univ. Colleges, 25

Community Colleges

75 Postgraduate programs

58 Tuition Fees, 80% Salaries

Facts & Figures

Selected Educational Indicators

Increase in teachers at Gov. Schools 95-2004

47%

53%

New Teachers

Increase in Gov. Schools 95-2004

31%

69%

New Schools

Government Schools with Computer Lab, 19953%

97%With Computer Labs

Government Schools with Computer Lab, 2004

44%

56%

With computer Lab

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 12600 teachers were trained to use computer)– School administration– Access to Internet, E-mail, and other activities.

IT in General Education

• Human Resources– 12600 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

10759

9375

8675

5855

1712

6981

3694

430

1949

3012

587

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

ST

UD

EN

TS

MAJOR

Arts

Education

Commerce

Science

IT & Computer

Engineering

Medical Professions

Agriculture

Law

Islamic Studies

Others

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]