| Education System in Palestine |
Primary education begins in the preparatory stage, or lower basic level (grades 1 to 4)
Six years of middle school follow, which Palestinians call the empowerment stage or upper basic level (5 to 10)
The final 2 years of the education program take place at academic and technical/vocational secondary schools. At the end of this period, students sit for a national secondary education examination (Tawjihi) that is the portal to tertiary education in Palestine.
More than 15 secondary industrial schools provide technical education in agricultural, commercial, hotel, home economics, and industrial spheres. Participation remains relatively low. A number of rehabilitation centers target drop-outs.
There are a variety of post-secondary institutions in Palestine, including colleges providing 2-year diplomas, and universities offering 4-year undergraduate degrees and more.
The oldest tertiary institution is Al-Azhar University established in Gaza in 1994. Its faculties include Pharmacy, Arts, Mediterranean Studies, Law, Education, Agriculture, Water Sciences & Environment, Statistics, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Political Science, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. It currently serves over 10,000 students.
