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Written question asked by Jonathan Gullis (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 April 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 April 2020. It was answered by James Cleverly (Conservative) on Wednesday, 29 April 2020 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Palestinians: Curriculum

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Georg Eckert Institute review of the Palestinian curriculum will include the online lessons by Palestinian Authority teachers during the covid-19 pandemic.

Answer

The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s curriculum.  We are pleased that the Palestinian Authority is undertaking a review of its textbooks and updating them for the new academic year.

The UK has been at the forefront of international action to get to the bottom of allegations. We secured agreement from European partners to commission the Georg Eckert Institute to conduct an independent review, which is currently underway. The scope of the Review was set before the COVID-19 crisis and it does not cover online teaching arrangements put in place by the Palestinian Authority while schools are closed. Any changes to its scope would be a matter for Georg Eckert Institute and our European Partners. We have not had specific discussions with our international counterparts on the Palestinian Authority’s online curriculum. Ministers have regularly raised the issue of incitement in the education sector with the PA’s Minister for Education, which the Secretary of State did most recently in February this year.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
38981
Session
2019-21
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Curriculum Internet Schools Reviews Palestine Coronavirus Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk