II.      Statistical Analysis

Student Absorption Rates

The total Arab (Muslim and Christian) population between the ages of five and nineteen years in the city of Jerusalem in 1998 was approximately 68,700 (see Table 1).[i]  For the 1998-1999 school year, there were 47,180 pupils in the East Jerusalem Arab education sector, including public, private and religious schools (see Table 2).[ii]  The remaining 21,520 children either attended school in the West Bank or did not attend school at all.  In 1999 “over 15,000 East Jerusalem youngsters do not attend any form of education institution.”[iii] (see Figure 1).

Furthermore, only 27,815 children attended public school in East Jerusalem during the 1998-1999 school year, a mere 40.5 percent of the total student-aged population. The public schools in East Jerusalem report having 28,120 students for the 1999-2000 school year (see Table 3), an increase of only 305 students.  At the same time, the student-aged population grew by approximately 4,450 students (6.5 percent [iv]) during the 1998-1999 school year.  Thus the education system absorbed only 305 of 4,450 eligible students!

 Since the UDHR and CRC stipulate that every child has the right to a free primary education and that an elementary education is mandatory, any failure to absorb children wishing to attend school in Jerusalem constitutes a direct violation of these rights by the Israeli government.  A report issued by Defense for Children International in November 1999 explains that the official policy of the Jerusalem Municipality is to accept any child with permanent residency status who applies into the schools.[v]  However, the report goes on to say that parents are not educated about their rights, may feel intimidated or humiliated by the application process, and receive inconsistent information from municipal employees about their children’s status.  As a result, many students are not absorbed into the school system, or, as the report explains, many parents send their students to schools in the West Bank, unaware that they can demand placement for their children in East Jerusalem schools.

Even if the remaining student-aged population registered in East Jerusalem schools for the Fall of 2000, the East Jerusalem school system would be unable to absorb the new students.  It is hardly capable of managing the approximately 28,000 students currently enrolled.  There are 919 classrooms in the East Jerusalem public school system (see Table 3).  If all 15,000 children not enrolled in school were to register in the public school system, schools would have to place a staggering 47 students in each classroom.  If the students commuting to the West Bank enrolled as well, the number of students per classroom would rise to 54.

Comparing these figures to those for Jewish West Jerusalem indicates how Israeli policy and administration differ in the two sides of the city.  The Jewish student-aged population in Jerusalem for 1998-1999 was about 151,200 children (see Table 1).[vi]  That year, there were 137,523 students enrolled in secular and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools.  Thus, approximately 91 percent of the Jewish, student-aged population was enrolled in school that year, not including those students in independent institutions.  Both secular Hebrew education and Ultra-Orthodox education are funded by the State.  Therefore, unlike the situation in Arab East Jerusalem, the vast majority of children in the Jewish sector of Jerusalem are enrolled in publicly funded schools.  The State of Israel and the Jerusalem Municipality are accommodating all of them.

  Comparing class sizes also reveals a discrepancy in the Israeli administration of the Arab and Jewish sectors.  For the 1998-1999 school year, the Hebrew and Ultra-Orthodox schools had an average of 24.7 and 24.5 pupils per class, respectively (see Table 2). [vii]  At the same time, Arab public schools averaged 30.9 students per class.[viii]  For the 1999-2000 school year, the average number of Arab pupils per class remained as high as 30.6 students (see Table 3).  Only in Arab private schools, where conditions are comparable to West Jerusalem schools, does the average number of students per class drop to 26.8 (see Table 2).

These figures are just one indication of the major discrepancies between education for Arab and Jewish students in Jerusalem.  Every year, thousands of Palestinians are denied an education in East Jerusalem schools.  This issue has been raised and denounced repeatedly by several sources, including by Defense for Children International and Taher al-Nammari, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the PHRMG.[ix]  The failure to enroll Arab students in classes and to provide them with adequate classroom space illustrates the Israeli government’s disregard for the Palestinians’ right to an education.

Facilities

Not only are classrooms insufficient in number they are seriously deficient in their quality.  Few students receive proper physical education, arts education or computer training.  They lack access to libraries and science laboratories.  Most do not receive the academic or vocational education required for participation in modern technological society.

As shown in Table 3, only 18 of 35 schools report having any science laboratories at all.  Only 20 of the schools report having outdoor sports facilities.  Only 43 percent of the schools have libraries, and only 31 percent have computer laboratories.  Of all the other facilities listed in Table 3, no more than 9 schools, or 25.7 percent of all schools, have any of them (e.g. music, fine arts, etc).

 
But reality is even worse than the figures indicate.  For example, 14 schools, serving 10,355 students, report having no physical education facilities at all.   Approximately 37 percent of the student population receive no physical education and have no recreational facilities in their schools.  Often, even those facilities that are available are substandard.  “Outdoor sports facilities” may mean nothing more than a fenced-in blacktop area.  At Ahmed Sameh al-Khaldy Boys’ School, a half-constructed gymnasium has not progressed in several months.[x]  This gymnasium was included in Table 3 under the assumption that it will be completed eventually.  At Shu’fat Boys’ High School, metal ceiling panels in the gymnasium threaten to fall at any time, rendering the gymnasium unusable for the last several years.[xi]  Despite repeated requests from the headmaster, the municipality has not made the necessary repairs.  The outside basketball courts at Shu’fat do not even have backboards or hoops
 

In contrast, West Jerusalem schools have far better facilities.  Although the same statistical information is not available for the West Jerusalem school system, my visits to schools there indicate a dramatic disparity between the two sides of the city.  For instance, Gymnasia School, a large facility containing a preparatory school and high school, has two computer laboratories, one biology-chemistry laboratory for each school, a physics laboratory, a library, an industrial arts room, an impressive indoor gymnasium, a large outdoor courtyard with basketball courts, and a performance hall/movie theater that seats approximately 350 people.[xiv]  Even the physics laboratory has 17 computers of its own.  The bomb shelter, which East Jerusalem schools would typically use as a classroom, is used as a drama room. In addition to regular coursework, eleventh and twelfth graders can take sculpture, painting, or photography.  All students can participate in after-school sports, including basketball, soccer, karate, and tykuando.  The gymnasium is used by both students and citizens from the community nearly all day.  East Jerusalem schools have no money for after-school activities.
 

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