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UNRWA and the United States: partners for the education of Palestine refugees

19 September 2016

Education is one of the central pillars of human development and it is key for helping a child to achieve her or his full potential. Since 1949, UNRWA has been working to ensure all Palestine refugee children have access to quality and inclusive education.

The United States has long been one of the Agency’s most reliable supporters and a strong defender of the right to education for Palestine refugees. As the Agency’s largest bilateral donor, the United States has funded the construction or reconstruction of 26 schools across Gaza, Jordan and the West Bank since 2010, benefiting around 35,000 students each year.  Furthermore, as the largest contributor to the UNRWA Programme Budget, support from the United States also reaches all of the roughly 500,000 students in each and every one of the 692 schools run by the Agency.

As UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl has emphasized: “For children, education is a passport to dignity.”

In Gaza, there are currently 29,754 students enrolled in the 22 schools that were either built or reconstructed with US funds since 2010. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Tamer HamamUNRWA and the United States: partners for the education of Palestine refugeesModern computer labs help students to develop their technology skills while exposing them to interactive learning methods. In this photo, students from the UNRWA Jalazone School enjoy the newly equipped room. © 2014 UNRWA PhotoFifty-four per cent of the UNRWA 2016 Programme Budget is allocated to education. High-quality basic education provides young Palestine refugees with a common set of key values, including dignity, tolerance, gender equality and human rights, helping them to shape a better future. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Tamer Hamam“For children, education is a passport to dignity,” emphasized UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Tamer HamamBased on a shared commitment to Palestine refugees’ human development, UNRWA and the United States seek to help children and youth gain appropriate knowledge and skills by providing universal primary education. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Tamer Hamam.UNRWA students are among the most highly educated in the region. Since the 1960s, UNRWA has achieved gender parity in all schools, becoming the first school system in the Middle East to achieve equal enrolment of boys and girls. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Tamer HamamThe new buildings are helping to reduce the number of schools on a double shift, In this photo, Simon Henshaw (right), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from the US State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, is joined by UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühlto inaugurate the new UNRWA school ,which was constructed with US support to replace a rented school building. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Alaa Ghosheh.The majority of schools are now equipped with science and computer labs, only made possible thanks to US support. In addition, of the 22 schools constructed or reconstructed, in Gaza 19 now have generators, nine have solar electricity and five have water desalination tanks to ensure that students can continue their education despite inconsistent electricity and water supply. © 2015 UNRWA PhotoTeachers are the single most important educational resource for UNRWA. A 2014 World Bank study on the UNRWA education programme found the Agency’s teachers to be a key component to the UNRWA schools outperforming host schools by a margin equivalent to more than one additional year of learning. © 2015 UNRWA PhotoIn this photo, the Director of UNRWA Operations in Jordan, Roger Davies (second from right), joined the Ambassador of the United States to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Alice Wells (centre), during the inauguration of the UNRWA Nuzha School in 2015. The newly constructed school replaced unsafe buildings that were used by nearly 2,000 students and 77 education staff. © 2015 UNRWA photoSince 2000, with support from the United States, UNRWA has been implementing the Human Rights, Conflict Resolution and Tolerance (HRCRT) Programme in its schools to promote an understanding of human rights, tolerance, good citzenship, communication skills, non-violence and peaceful conflict resolution. All UNRWA teachers in all five fields of operations have now been trained on methods of integrating these topics into their daily classes. © 2015 UNRWA Photo

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