Ministry for Diaspora Affairs | September 2024

Appendices

Appendices: The Palestinian Authority's Education System: Background, Data, and Funding

The Palestinian Authority was established in May 1994. In August of that year it took over education responsibiliies from the Israeli Civil Administration. According to PCBS, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the following data present the state of the educational system in Judea and Samaria during the 2023 school year, with a budget of 3.45 billion NIS (19.5% of the overall budget): 64 • The number of school students was 1,382,932 boys and girls (about 2.4 million children aged 0 to 18, representing 44% of the total population). 65 • 3,190 schools across Judea and Samaria and Gaza (2,394 in Judea and Samaria region and 796 in Gaza). 66 • A teaching staff of about 62,000 teachers. 67 Foreign funding for the Palestinian educational system and UNRWA. • The Palestinian education system, in particular, like the PA in general, rely heavily on foreign aid. 68 The main contributors are the European Union, 69 countries within the EU, and the United States (primarily to UNRWA). • In July 2024, the European Union announced an additional grant to the PA, and included in the funding announcement their expectations for progress in a series of reforms, including in the educational sector. 70

64 موازنة المواطن | وزارة التربية والتعليم (citizenbudget.ps) 65 https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_Rainbow/Documents/Students_en.html 66 Central Bureau of Statistics of the Authority; https://wafa.ps/Pages/Details/68954 67 Central Bureau of Statistics of the Authority 68 See, for example, the European Union Factsheet: EU support to Palestinians (Europa. eu) 69 Palestine* - European Commission (Europa. eu) 70 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_3823, And see also p. 23 in particular European Joint Strategy 2021-2024.PDF (Europa.eu)

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