The occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza have seen economic growth rates of up to 8% per annum in recent years, but prosperity still eludes the majority. Unemployment stands at around 22% and Palestine’s fractious relationship with Israel restricts movement and economic growth, with the territories heavily dependent on aid. Not surprisingly overseas study remains a luxury available to the few – a shame given the transformative effects it can have.
Adding to the problem, foreign schools have spent little time or money on marketing in Palestine and rarely visit due to security concerns. The numbers reflect this: out of a population of four million only 502 Palestinians studied in Germany in 2012, 331 in the USA, 190 in the UK, 52 in Australia and 43 in Canada.
Could this now be changing? The American Consulate General in Jerusalem and AMIDEAST, an American nonprofit organisation with offices across the MENA region, organised what they believe is the largest ever US education fair in Palestine this April, attended by around 15 US universities, community colleges and private schools. Institutions from the State University of New York to the New York Film Academy came to Ramallah in the West Bank, curious about a market that could one day blossom. Hundreds of students attended.
“I think that people are talking to each other and learning the West Bank is usually pretty safe”
“What I’ve noticed is that over the years, the participation in these US study fairs has grown, with the size of each new American delegation larger than the previous one,” says Steven Keller, country director of AMIDEAST, which facilitates study abroad opportunities for Palestinians through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program and other programmes at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels.
“I think that people are talking to each other and learning the West Bank is usually pretty safe. And more importantly, that there are some very smart, articulate, driven and interested students who would be great to have on their campuses.”
Schools also find the US government happy to help them. The US Commercial Service also attended the fair, keen to promote US education exports as a form of diplomacy. (The US government committed $495.7 million in aid to the Palestinian territories in FY 2012 in what it calls “an essential part of negotiated two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis, promoting a comprehensive peace in the Middle East”).
Maria Andrews, commercial counsellor at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv, told The PIE News that more Palestinians at US schools meant more exposure to US education and culture. Palestinians of course reap significant benefits. These are partly academic: despite a 30% participation rate in higher education across the occupied territories, Palestinian universities are seriously under resourced. Keller says that students who study abroad enjoy a “transformative personal experience” too – particularly if they have never been outside Palestine.
“People come back as change agents, and make changes in the education system here”
“It exposes them to diversity and more of an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, which the education system lacks here,” he says. “People come back as change agents, and make changes in the education system here or the field that they’re working in.”
He hopes the fair is a sign of things to come but concedes there are major hurdles. English proficiency is one, given most students cannot get into quality US schools without a good grasp of the language. The quality of tuition in Palestine is low, foreign teachers are in short supply and lessons and testing can be costly.
“Palestinians also struggle with taking standardised tests such as SATs and TOEFL which are important to US schools,” Keller says. “Even top students may need to take them again and again. This can be a barrier not just to getting in, but also to accessing scholarships.”[More>>]
AMIDEAST is trying to remedy this by giving English lessons, training Palestinian teachers and providing a variety of scholarships. It has less control, however, over another problem: obtaining student visas. Sometimes Israel can refuse to let Palestinians leave the West Bank because of a security claim against them, or simply because the person’s address is listed in Gaza.
“[This can mean] difficulties in reaching the US consulate in Jerusalem in order to attend a visa interview,” says Sari Bashi, executive-director of Gisha, an Israeli non-governmental organisation that advocates freedom of movement for Palestinians. “Israel ordinarily does not allow Palestinians to enter east Jerusalem, and so it can be difficult to even reach the interview to request the visa.”
Those who get visas can also have complaints. A former PhD student and lecturer at the University of Texas, Inshirah Nabhan, told The PIE that while in the US, she needed to come home every six months to renew her visa. “Most of the international students at my university got far longer visas,” she says. “It cost me a lot in flights.”
“Most of the international students at my university got far longer visas”
Many also fail to win visas as they are unable to secure the “maintenance funds” required. This highlights the most fundamental obstacle facing those who study abroad: finance. With the cost of foreign study beyond most Palestinian families (in the US it averages around $40,000 a year), most Palestinians depend on scholarships such as Fulbright (USA) and Chevening (UK).
One awardee, who will travel to the US this August, told the PIE he felt the US was funding more Palestinians than ever but that competition for grants was fierce. “For the Fulbright, 50 apply and they take nine. But I encourage everyone to try, because even if you don’t get it, the process makes you stronger, and maybe you’ll get it next year.”
Political issues also have impact. Paying for her degree herself, Nabhan ran into trouble when Hamas came to power in the West Bank in 2006. Most foreign aid was slashed and her civil servant parents found their salaries cut. “Even though I was teaching, I still struggled to make ends meet,” she says.
Awareness of scholarship opportunities has also been an issue, but thanks to promotion by NGOs this is improving. Social media also helps: the US Department of State is now said to publicise every exchange initiative it’s involved in on Facebook, reaching far more students.
More importantly, foreign institutions are getting over their security concerns and starting to visit. Most want more diverse campuses, yet the majority of schools at the fair had never recruited Palestinians before.
“There are talented, passionate people here who have uniquely Palestinian stories to tell”
“There would be some real pros to Palestinian students coming to Columbia, which is in the Midwest,” Keila Ferree, coordinator of international admissions at Columbia College, Missouri, says. “We don’t have any Palestinian students and if we can recruit a few they would really be ambassadors for their countries and promote good dialogue with our American and other international students.”
Jack Newman, director of outreach and development for the New York Film Academy, said he was hoping to find new talent. “Now cameras that used to cost $25,000 cost $2,500-$5,000, and this has levelled the playing field in many ways. There are talented, passionate people here who have uniquely Palestinian stories to tell, and we’re here to provide them the opportunity to come to the US, learn how to do it properly and get their films produced.”
Increasing these opportunities won’t be easy. Some schools simply don’t have enough scholarships to support those interested. Others say they expect to spend at least three to five years marketing before they recruit any Palestinians.
However, for Keller the shift of attitudes is in itself promising. “It’s great that there is an increasing number of interested universities testing the waters—deciding that maybe it’s worth it to see for themselves what it’s like here, talking to Palestinians directly and not being scared off.”
