Palestine boasts an incredibly high literacy rate, which according to recent statistics is 97.5%. This places Palestine above the UNDP Human Development Index category of “high human development” and well above the MENA region average of 80.6% (World Bank Data 2014).

 

The high literacy rate is an indicator of the high level of accessibility to education in Palestine: some 1,338,353 students are enrolled in primary through secondary education across 3,107 schools. In fact, very few school age children are excluded from education (notwithstanding special barriers to access such as disability).

At the university level 203,621 students are enrolled (62% female and 38% male), with another 11,144 enrolled in community colleges. This places total enrolment for youth aged 18-24 at more than 25.8%, which is above the international standard, especially when benchmarked against MENA region countries and developing countries in general. There are a total of 51 higher education institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: 16 universities, 16 university colleges and 17 community colleges.

 

These numbers indicate two things: education is highly valued by Palestinians, and access to education is well established across Palestine. The next challenge therefore extends beyond providing access to education into providing the quality education that reflects the reality of today's world.