Planning for Change: Bridging the Gap between Secondary Education in Palestine and Future Job Prospects – Ramallah as a case study رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

The Purpose of this study is to investigate the critical problem in Palestine that the educational system is facing in manner of the uneven distribution of educational streams in regards to secondary education. This and the fact that employment opportunities are becoming scarce and demanding sets of skills that have become basic for any job description; we took a closer look into the most crucial factors that would assist in steering education towards needs rather than wants. In our study we investigated entrepreneurship, vocational education, apprenticeship, and flexibility in education and compared attitudes verses perceptions in these independent variables in order to manipulate decision making. This research is highly valuable for the ministry of education (MOE) in the strategic planning process in order to effectively steer education enrollment towards labor market needs, by studying crucial influential factors that students consider when making decisions in regards to their education. This research can be considered as a broad understanding of the Palestinian educational system and international systems as well as a backup to a series of important questions that will be distributed to students in the Ramallah City area which will be the basis of our analysis and recommendations. The sample and population used for this study include students in secondary school level education in the city of Ramallah. With a sample size of 250 students between 10th and 12th grade. The study resulted in 5 recommendations that include creating a more flexible education system for youth to have easier access in transferring between vocational and academic education and in enrolling in universities. Second to activate apprenticeship, third for the MOL and MOE to plan together and not individually, integrate more skills in researching, technology, creativity and entrepreneurship and decision making into the education system. And finally, to influence parents and teachers towards what the country is in need for conserving labor market needs