The Role of Education Sector Development in Strengthening the Resilience of Palestinians Living in Area C: EU’s Perspective رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Education is a great investment in the future of Palestinian people! Palestinians need to have a resilient education system that is responsive to the rapidly changing situations and prepares students, schools and communities to better cope with conflicts for a better future. The necessity to create safe and protective environments for education in area C is severely urgent. Methodology in this thesis research is a qualitative, whereas the researcher collected and analyzed primary and secondary data from different resources. The aim of this thesis research is to explore how the role of education sector development in strengthening the resilience of Palestinians living in area “C” will enable them to remain on their land and to advocate for increased investment in education continuity and sustainability in area C from EU’s perspective. Consequently, this will help the Palestinian Authority to plan, channel resources and implement actions to strengthen resilience and builds initiatives that are of local development nature for Palestinians living in area C. Furthermore, this research aimed at identifying and analyzing the educational challenges facing the development partners, and how they can create a culture of peace and contribute to peacebuilding and trust building to strengthen the resilience of Palestinians living in area C, as resilience is very important to preserve the Palestinian identity and cultural heritage. All donors' work over the years has led to better alignment of aid with national priorities and development of comprehensive education sector strategies. This has translated into better development results benefitting Palestinian children and students, and their access to quality inclusive education. As this research showed, Palestine’s education sector is performing well in regional and international comparison. However, more work lies ahead. The EU and the international community should address violations of international law, including international humanitarian law in a consistent manner. One of the important variables is the challenging financial situation of the Palestinian Authority which calls for additional resource mobilization and continued assistance to the education sector. It is highly recommended that the EU and its member states in Palestine propose new influencing strategies that could go beyond traditional development tools and bring about a change in the way EU's development partners address the Palestinian context and priorities. Yet the Israeli occupation remains the single most destructive impediment in Palestine, undermining the prospects for sustainable development. Faced by diminishing prospects for a two-state solution, it is crucial to focus on resilience building, as Palestinians will continue to be steadfast and resilient, and we need to build bridges not walls between migration, displacement resilience and education.