Description of Palestinian Education Systems : Elementary Education (Arabic Public System) in the rural and urban areas in Palestine before 1948 (Nakba), British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 646. Chapter XVI: Social Services : Section 2:

CHAPTBR XVI.

Elementary education (Arab public system).

(a) URBAN.

57. Town schools for Arab pupils have increased both in size and number since 1920. Arabic is the language of instruction, but English is also taught from the fourth elementary class. Boys and girls are taught in separate schools, but boys are admitted to the kindergarten classes in girls' schools. Manual training is an important feature in all boys' schools, while in girls' schools special attention is paid to plain needlework, embroidery, and various branches of domestic science.

The number of separate town schools is now (Jan. 1946).

Boys 45

Girls

TotaI

SS

78

Five schools have been built by Government; fourteen had been built by the Turks. Most of these latter have been greatly enlarged by the present administration. The great majority of the remainder are in hired buildings.

(b) RURAL.

58. Village education is given a rural bias with elementary instruction in agriculture and a special syllabus of general subjects is applied in the smaller (four standard) schools. Practical agriculture is a substantial part of the Government curriculum wherever a suitable plot of land can be provided. In July, 1.945, there were 242 Government school gardens with a total area of 650 acres. Some of these gardens include nurseries for fruit and forest trees.

In the larger villages a full elementary education (seven standards) with rural bias is provided and boarding .accommodation has been established in a number of centres for selected boys from the neighbouring four-year schools.

In ten rural towns or large villages a two-year course at secondary level, still with rural bias, is also provided.

Buildings in Arab rural areas are erected at the cost of the inhabitants with grants in aid from Government. The teaching staff is usually provided by Government but there are now 270 supplementary teachers paid by village Local Authorities.

The number of rural public schools is now (January, 1946) 426.
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