The Digital Futures for Palestine (DFP) Consortium
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Project Harmony is proud to be a founding member of the Digital Futures for Palestine Consortium (DFP). The DFP Consortium is one of a larger group of stakeholders and agencies implementing projects of the Palestinian Education Initiative.
Background on Palestinian Education Initiative:
The Palestine Education Initiative (PEI) was launched at the 2005 World Economic Forum (WEF). It was adopted by the Palestinian government and is championed by the Minister of Education and Higher Education and the Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology. Paltel, the Palestinian telecommunication company, played a major role in negotiating with the WEF to bring the initiative to Palestine. The goal of the Initiative is to assist the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) to integrate ICT into the education system to encourage innovative teaching models, effectively use information and communication technology, emphasize student-cantered learning, and strengthen ties between the education and business communities within a model of public/private partnership, and with support from international agencies and businesses.
Palestinian Education Initiative official website: http://www.pei.ps/
Education in Palestine
Since its establishment in 1994, the MoEHE has committed itself to reforming the education system with the aim of assisting the preparation of Palestinian citizens towards life in a democratic society and towards positive contribution to the economy. The Ministry has always believed that quality education is one that focuses on equipping students with knowledge and skills for lifelong learning as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development. The Ministry embarked on developing the Palestinian curricula as part of the education reform process. Aware that a knowledge-based economy depends on the use of ideas and the application of technology, it introduced technology education and IT in the new curricula from grades 5-12 and introduced the English language from grade 1.
Overall Objectives and Guiding Principles
The overall objective of the PEI is the enhancement of the future of education in Palestine through pedagogical techniques empowered by technology that catalyze socio-economic development. Furthermore, it aims to:
- improve the existing ICT utilization in the education system
- encourage innovation in education
- build the capacity of the educational, ICT and knowledge industries for the development of innovative learning solutions
- enhance a student cantered learning process
- encourage innovative teaching models that effectively use information and communication technology.
Work Programme
The following components and actions are based on focusing on learning content, teachers' training, connectivity, in-class technology, and community development.
A. School District Development
This will address the deployment of curriculum and infrastructure on a pilot basis (140 schools distributed among districts), as a first stage toward a system-wide approach on how ICT can enable new pedagogy and facilitate learning, creativity, and innovation. One challenge to address is how to build leadership and management capacity at the ministerial (Education and Telecommunication/IT) and district levels and provide them with ownership of the initiative at the early stages. Another challenge will be how to change teachers' and administrators' attitudes and understanding to enable them to facilitate learning to students beyond the traditional approach through the introduction and management of e-learning. To address these challenges, the following sub-components are proposed:
1. E-curricula & Pedagogies
This track will focus on the development of digital content in new outcome-based curricula for subjects from grades 1-12. The prime purpose is to support learning purposes such as knowledge construction, data analysis and interpretation, critical thinking and problem solving. The challenge of introducing and deploying such curricula will be on the selection of appropriate technology platform(s) that can best meet the set objectives and at the same time support the development of edutainment (things that educate and entertain the user at the same time) and other constructivist approaches to learning. The subjects chosen are math, science, technology education, fine arts and English.
2. Connectivity
Connectivity is the most decisive factor that ensures the successful implementation of any ICT initiative. The physical infrastructure of the Palestinian territories and the geographic separation of cities and towns are challenges that will demand innovative ways to quickly and efficiently connect schools.
3. In-Class Technology
The Initiative will be piloted in schools that are equipped with computer labs. Since the use of these labs is limited to teaching technology education subjects, the challenge here is how to best introduce in-class technology in the most affordable, effective and efficient ways. The introduction of mobile units will be investigated for in-class subject knowledge, research, collaborative projects, enrichment or exercises.
4. Teachers and Administrators Training
This sub-component is about providing professional development training to teachers and administrators on how to deliver e-curricula in the classroom.
5. School / Change Management System
This track aims at providing school managers and administrators with the tools to manage, monitor and exchange information with stakeholders, including students, parents, the community, the ministry and other schools. This work stream will also focus on changing teachers' attitudes and understanding to enable them to facilitate learning to students beyond the traditional approach. Teachers and administrators will be given courses to build up their leadership and management competencies.
B. Lifelong Learning
This component is about supporting the development of a lifelong learning strategy for the Palestinian National Authority. The success of achieving a sustainable strategy will provide Palestinian citizens with real learning opportunities at all levels and ages. Following strategy development, there is a need to support infrastructure and services to build the capacity of the various institutions to develop and deliver lifelong learning courses.
C. Industry Development
The PEI is built on a public-private partnership. As such, local businesses will be mobilized to take full advantage of this Initiative to increase their capacity to implement projects and solutions through local and/or global cooperation.
D. Monitoring and Evaluation
This will ensure that the model is sustainable in the long term and can be supported by the local ICT industry. The emphasis is on establishing standards and indicators for services, products, processes and inputs and designing a continuous evaluation system.
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