New technological school opens for advanced Arab students in Jerusalem
The school, situated in Beit Hanina, is meant to reduce gaps in the education system of Jerusalem's Arab sector; it will allow Jerusalem's most qualified Arab students to tackle the technological challenges of the 21st century.
A new technology school launched by the Jerusalem Municipality, in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Education, opened in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina this past week. The school is meant to offer some of Jerusalem’s most qualified and advanced Arab students the necessary tools to tackle the technological challenges of the 21st century.
“One of the school’s goals is to reduce the existing gaps in the education system of Jerusalem’s Arab sector,” a Jerusalem Municipality spokesperson related to Tazpit Press Service.
“All students in Israel and in Jerusalem particularly, are entitled to equal opportunities and therefore we all have a common interest in succeeding to incorporate Arab students with the tools to help their integration into Israeli society and ensure their future careers,” the municipality spokesperson added.
Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat also celebrated the new school’s opening.
“This is another stage in the revolution that includes reducing gaps and improving the quality of education in the Arab sector of Jerusalem,” commented Barkat. “The school is the product of a process and an ongoing dialogue between the municipality and parents in the Arab sector who are also very much interested in framing advanced education that will provide technological studies.”
The reduction in the education gap will partially be accomplished by following the Israeli matriculation curriculum.
“The studies in the school will allow students to learn according to the Israeli matriculation curriculum, thus reducing educational gaps and opening up many possibilities in higher education institutions,” the municipality spokesperson explained to TPS. “These tools will help make integration easier in the future, both in academia and in the labor market.”
Even though one of the school’s goals is to reduce existing gaps in education for Jerusalem’s Arab population, the school will only serve students with advanced academic abilities.
“The new technological school in Beit Hanina was designed to address a population of students demonstrating a high level of ability in the fields of sciences, math and technology,” the municipality spokesperson noted to TPS.
The intense curriculum of the school, which includes six school days per week as well as various workshops that will take place over vacations, is aimed at giving advanced Arab students in Jerusalem more of an auspicious future that they likely would not have had otherwise.
“We plan to make it possible for students to have advanced levels of education along with the creation of tools and opportunities for their academic education and future integration into the labor market,” the spokesperson said to TPS.
“The school is the first of its kind in the Arab sector of Jerusalem in which the level of education will be on a higher level together with first tier teachers according to their respective professions and concentrations of study,” the spokesperson continued.
The Jerusalem municipality has invested approximately NIS 4 million for use of the building as well as for the purchase technological equipment. The school will have 14 classrooms, 9 workshop rooms as well as other auxiliary rooms and an outdoor courtyard. The members of the school’s faculty have previous teaching experience and have advanced academic degrees in the fields of engineering and high-tech.
Republished with permission from the Tazpit News Agency (TPS).
