It was only six years ago, when I sold books from underneath my bed for 10 Shekels apiece, to students at West Bank schools. The book, titled The Palestinian Society: Prospects for Development, written by Palestinian specialists, included chapters on the history of the Palestinian people, their culture and folklore, the economy and prospects for development. Why was I selling the book? Because at the time, I was managing a pilot educa¬tion project "Education for Awareness and Involvement" (EAI), aimed at making school education more relevant to the needs and aspirations of the Palestinian people. The book, one of the components of the EAI project, was to teach school children about their own history and heritage. Such a luxury had been denied my generation and the previous one. The reason I was hiding the book, selling it from underneath my bed, was simply because it was banned by the Israeli authorities. Indeed, all efforts to enlighten Palestinians about their history were prohibited during the long years of the Israeli Occupation.

Preparing for Life

The EAI project was started in 1985, two years before the onset of the Intifada. The Evangelical Lutheran Schools Administration in the West Bank, in cooperation with Bir Zeit University (through educationalist Khalil Mahshi), brainstormed on how to develop the educational system at the Lutheran schools. The project's main philosophy was to promote a more context-specific education, and to prepare students (90 percent of whom do not go on to university) for life after graduation.
The project comprised several components. The most important was changing teaching practices from ones that stressed rote learning to ones that focused on the student as the center of the teaching-learning process, emphasizing the importance of "Learning by Doing." Teachers took training courses in innovative teaching methods. Computer education was intro¬duced and computer labs were established at the seven schools participating in the project. The natural science classes were also taught in laboratories.
Another important component of the EAI project was vocational education. Vocational workshops were created where girls and boys alike learned the skills of metal work, electricity, carpentry, and pottery. Students were encouraged to produce attractive items that were sold dur¬ing annual exhibits. Home economics was also taught to boys as well as to girls. Such courses aimed at preparing boys, for the first time in Palestinian history, to cater to their practical needs at home, enhancing thus male appreciation for duties previously restricted to females. A spe¬cial booklet was prepared on methods of food preservation, which was vital for Palestinians during the long months of closures and curfews imposed during the Intifada.
Environmental studies were introduced into the curriculum, and trained teachers worked on at least 10 booklets on different aspects of the Palestinian environment. Environmental committees were also organized and engaged in activities to clean and preserve the environment in West Bank cities. Today, the environmental aspect of the project remains the most successful and has now been extended to various schools in West Bank towns and villages.
Career counseling was also initiated in all seven schools. A number of teachers were trained as career counselors for three years. Later, they were charged with advising the students on future careers. Visits to different work sites were organized and secondary-school students were placed in work sites of their choice. Parents and community members were called to meetings and their involvement in the project was greatly encouraged.
Today, as I deal with Palestinian women's issues in my capacity as director of the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC), I realize how much gender sensitization the EAI project involved.

Equality between Men and Women

EAI schools were all coeducational, preparing children for a healthy, balanced and mixed society where both sexes have an equal right to par¬ticipate in its buildup. Boys and girls, alike, were involved in vocational education, home economics, sports, cultural and extracurricular activities, in an effort to eliminate the traditional stereotyping of roles in society.
Today, the Palestinian Ministry of Education can benefit a lot from the EAI experience. The future educational philosophy of the Palestinian Ministry of Education should respect and protect human rights, which by necessity would encompass women's rights. It is important, in that respect, that men and women of the future be brought up with an appreciation of the fact that men and women are equal in rights and in dignity. The intro¬duction of an educational program enhancing the dignified role of pro¬ductivity, coupled with a program on sex education and family planning, will enrich our curricula and promote adherence to human rights. As Palestinian women, our demand for a gender-sensitive educational system calls for an educational program that reflects the positive under¬standing of the reproductive role of women, child-rearing and joint parental responsibility. It also calls for the elimination of stereotypical con¬cepts in school textbooks. Books that have been borrowed from the Jordanian educational system portray women in the traditional submissive roles, responsible for domestic duties. The girl helps the mother in domes¬tic work, whereas the brother and the father are cast as the decision-mak¬ers - they are the ones who read and write. The Palestinian Ministry of Education's newly published textbooks show a clear attempt at avoiding such stereotypes. For example, one woman is portrayed as an architect; yet out of eight professions, only one is dedicated to a woman. Many illustra¬tions of mothers and teachers feature them with the traditional headdress, reflecting the more conservative trend in Palestinian society. The Palestinian national dress would have been much more appropriate in this context.

Changing from Patriarchy

Additionally, a great deal of effort should target the prevention of school dropout of girls. Although during the Intifada the rate of school dropout among boys ran higher than among girls, school dropout of girls remains to be addressed. The male dropout was caused by mere economic condi¬tions; whereas female dropout stems from a variety of other reasons. In Palestinian society, for example, females are still expected to marry at a very young age; thus, educational opportunities are stressed for boys, the future bread-winners in their families. Furthermore, females who are married at a young age are dismissed from school. These practices in effect violate two human rights: the right to education and the right to choose one's partner in marriage.
Another reason for the dropout of girls lies in the lack of secondary schools in many Palestinian rural areas. The "honor" concept in Palestinian society leads families to restrict their daughters' mobility, thus preventing them from attending school outside their own villages. A boy, on the other hand, is allowed and even encouraged to study in a distant town. Therefore, it is crucial that the Palestinian Ministry of Education build more secondary schools for girls in remote villages.
A lot of work is required in order to change Palestinian society from one of ultimate patriarchy to one that is gender-sensitive and conscious of human rights. For Palestinian women, this is a dream and a revolution. Dreams may be realized if enough effort is exerted in the right direction, using the right means. The revolution should start with our educational system.