Finnish support for Palestinian education
Ever since the beginning of the Middle East peace process, the international donor community has committed financial and other support for the development of the areas under the Palestinian Authority. The main objective is to build the necessary material conditions for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. During the period 1995 to 2001, the Government of Finland channelled aid worth FIM 105 million to Palestinians, mostly in the fields of education and water supply. A joint Palestinian-Finnish Education Programme (PALFEP) was set up in 1997.
In 1994, the Palestinian Authority inherited from Israel a badly neglected educational infrastructure and educational system, which in the West Bank was originally Jordanian and in the Gaza Strip Egyptian. A number of donors are participating in the efforts to modernize the system. Finnish support has been focused on improving the quality of education, school administration and school material production. An additional project to finance the printing of textbooks and to improve the management of textbook procurement was launched in 1999. The Finnish contribution for these two projects will reach FIM 27 million by the end of this year.
Some have criticized the Government of Finland for financing the printing of textbooks which the critics say contain anti-Semitic statements. These charges have been investigated thoroughly. All the passages pointed out as anti-Semitic have turned out to be in Jordanian and Egyptian textbooks (some as old as from 1948) which are still in use at several grades. A process is under way to replace the old non-Palestinian textbooks with new Palestinian textbooks. Thus far, new textbooks are available for grades one, two, six and seven (out of ten grades altogether). Much of the Finnish aid is earmarked to support this reform process.
Representatives of the Finnish Foreign Ministry have raised the issue with the Palestinian Authority. In discussions with the Palestinian Vice Minister of Education in February 2001, it was agreed that textbooks printed with Finnish support must not contain any anti-Semitic statements or incitement to hatred and violence.
Finland is committed to continue supporting Palestinian efforts to bring their educational system closer to international standards. The second phase of the Palestinian-Finnish Education Programme (PALFEP II) was approved by the Government of Finland in October 2001, and will be launched in early 2002. An important element in the second phase of the programme will be development of new Palestinian textbooks.
Palestinian education policies in relation to the Middle East peace process have been examined recently in two studies in Finland. The studies found that, by and large, the curricula in use stress the importance of peace, international cooperation and mutual understanding. The possibility of carrying out a UNESCO study on Israeli and Palestinian education is also under discussion. Finland would welcome such an initiative and would be willing to participate in it.
Additional information: Keijo Ruokoranta, Division for Africa and Middle East,Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel 1341 6396