2021 oPt Emergency Appeal - West Bank - Education in Emergencies 2021 oPt Emergency Appeal - West Bank - Education in Emergencies The COVID-19 emergency has had a significant negative impact on the education system. On 5 March 2020, the Palestinian Ministry of Education (MoE) announced the closures of all educational institutions. Following MoE’s instructions, UNRWA shut down all of its 96 schools and three Higher Education Centres on 6 March 2020. 

Responding to this crisis, the Agency continued to focus on the delivery of its Education in Emergencies (EiE) approach, reconceptualised in five key areas: Continuity of Learning, Psychosocial Support (PSS), Safety and Security – Health and Hygiene issues, Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET), and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). The adaptation of the Programme has facilitated the roll-out of an emergency response that considered both pre-existing challenges and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

UNRWA West Bank operates 96 schools for 46,000 students in basic education. There are two TVET institutions and one Educational Science Faculty (ESF) teacher training college for around 1,627 students. In September 2020, all the UNRWA 96 schools gradually reopened with the implementation of strict COVID-19 preventive measures to ensure safe access, while maintaining social distancing and hygiene standards. The Agency is implementing a blended learning approach, combining face-to-face education and remote learning. The new learning model has decreased the maximum number of students per section from 50 to 25 to be consistent with physical distancing requirements; to implement this approach, UNRWA has recruited 230 additional daily paid teachers, whose support will continue to be needed throughout the school year. 
As part of the school curriculum was converted into a Self-Learning Programme to ensure continuity of learning in the context of COVID-19, UNRWA will provide all students with SLMs. Moreover, 11,500 vulnerable students living in remote and Bedouin communities will receive tablets containing electronic versions of the SLMs, in addition to electronic copies of the textbooks and will be provided with printed material to access the Self-Learning Programme. 
All 96 UNRWA schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are following strict protocols to limit the risk of further contamination among students and teachers. All school facilities are disinfected and cleaned every day prior to receiving children. To do so, an additional 160 daily paid school attendants have been recruited and cleaning supplies and hygiene materials are procured to conduct regular cleaning in line with standards and WHO guidelines. 

Under this appeal, UNRWA is planning to create outdoor class spaces in the school courtyards to help sustain the reduced class sizes and ensure hygienic class spaces. Large rain and sun-blocking awnings, chairs, tents and portable whiteboards will be procured for all 96 UNRWA schools to ensure that the standards of physical distancing are adhered to. 

As the impact of the pandemic extends far beyond the sphere of physical health, UNRWA is strengthening the provision of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) activities to boys and girls studying at UNRWA schools through the hiring of additional school counsellors. 

TVET students are benefiting from the online delivery of the some of the TVET courses; online links are provided to access relevant resources for both the theoretical and practical elements of their courses. The Agency is working to identify suitable and quality self-learning materials with a particular focus on students who may be facing constraints in accessing materials online. The COVID-19 emergency has had a significant negative impact on the education system. On 5 March 2020, the Palestinian Ministry of Education (MoE) announced the closures of all educational institutions. Following MoE’s instructions, UNRWA shut down all of its 96 schools and three Higher Education Centres on 6 March 2020. 

Responding to this crisis, the Agency continued to focus on the delivery of its Education in Emergencies (EiE) approach, reconceptualised in five key areas: Continuity of Learning, Psychosocial Support (PSS), Safety and Security – Health and Hygiene issues, Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET), and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). The adaptation of the Programme has facilitated the roll-out of an emergency response that considered both pre-existing challenges and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

UNRWA West Bank operates 96 schools for 46,000 students in basic education. There are two TVET institutions and one Educational Science Faculty (ESF) teacher training college for around 1,627 students. In September 2020, all the UNRWA 96 schools gradually reopened with the implementation of strict COVID-19 preventive measures to ensure safe access, while maintaining social distancing and hygiene standards. The Agency is implementing a blended learning approach, combining face-to-face education and remote learning. The new learning model has decreased the maximum number of students per section from 50 to 25 to be consistent with physical distancing requirements; to implement this approach, UNRWA has recruited 230 additional daily paid teachers, whose support will continue to be needed throughout the school year. 
As part of the school curriculum was converted into a Self-Learning Programme to ensure continuity of learning in the context of COVID-19, UNRWA will provide all students with SLMs. Moreover, 11,500 vulnerable students living in remote and Bedouin communities will receive tablets containing electronic versions of the SLMs, in addition to electronic copies of the textbooks and will be provided with printed material to access the Self-Learning Programme. 
All 96 UNRWA schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are following strict protocols to limit the risk of further contamination among students and teachers. All school facilities are disinfected and cleaned every day prior to receiving children. To do so, an additional 160 daily paid school attendants have been recruited and cleaning supplies and hygiene materials are procured to conduct regular cleaning in line with standards and WHO guidelines. 

Under this appeal, UNRWA is planning to create outdoor class spaces in the school courtyards to help sustain the reduced class sizes and ensure hygienic class spaces. Large rain and sun-blocking awnings, chairs, tents and portable whiteboards will be procured for all 96 UNRWA schools to ensure that the standards of physical distancing are adhered to. 

As the impact of the pandemic extends far beyond the sphere of physical health, UNRWA is strengthening the provision of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) activities to boys and girls studying at UNRWA schools through the hiring of additional school counsellors. 

TVET students are benefiting from the online delivery of the some of the TVET courses; online links are provided to access relevant resources for both the theoretical and practical elements of their courses. The Agency is working to identify suitable and quality self-learning materials with a particular focus on students who may be facing constraints in accessing materials online.