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Living in the Holy Land: Respecting Differences
The Annual Evaluation Workshop for the
Implementation of
Living in the Holy Land: Respecting Differences
Project
20 – 21/6/2008 – Taybah
The Arab
Educational Institute has implemented its annual
evaluation workshop of the "Living in the Holy
Land: Respecting Differences" project on the 20
– 21 June 2008 at Taybah town in Ramallah. There
were 16 teachers and 2 school principals from
Bethlehem and Ramallah areas, in addition to 6
lecturers.
The opening
session included and inter-religious prayer by
both Mr. Abd Al Rahim Abu Shammah, who offered
an Islamic prayer, and Mr. Nayef Al Husari who
offered a Christian prayer. Mr. Fuad Giacaman –AEI
General Director- welcomed the participants and
hoped to have a successful evaluation workshop.
D. Walid Mustafa –Project Coordinator- presented
the schedule of the 2-day workshop.
There were
three sessions on the first day, as well as
three different chairpersons represented by
teachers. Mr. Abdallah Shakarnah – Director of
the Ministry of Higher Education Office in
Bethlehem gave the first session, which was
about the impact of the political and social
circumstances prevailing in Palestine on the
educational process and the implementation of
the Living in the Holy Land: Respecting
Differences project. His talk focused on the
internal Palestinian conflict between Fatah and
Hamas and its effects on the educational
process. His presentation was very realistic and
objective, that the teachers were sympathizing
with him because they experience and live this
situation.
 
In the second
session, Fr. Dr. Raed Abu Sahleyah – the Parish
Priest of the Latin Church at Taybah- talked
about the role of the Christian priests and the
methods used in teaching the Old Testament when
implementing the Living in the Holy Land:
Respecting Differences project. Fr. Raed
presented the structure of the Old Testament and
its nature, as well as its connection with the
New Testament. He confirmed that as Christian
religious priests or nuns, they have to study
the Old Testament. His lecture was very
interesting that the Moslem and the Christian
teachers complimented him and said that there
used to face difficulties in teaching this part
of the project, but now it is clear for them and
would study more the Old Testament to better
teach it for their students.
 
The third
session was a kind of an oral evaluation of the
impact of implementing the Living in the Holy
Land: Respecting Differences project from the
perspective of the teachers. Dr. Sami Udwan – a
lecturer at Bethlehem University- gathered the
teachers and the school principals in a circle
and interviewed them using study questions.
These questions were prepared in advance and
were sent to the schools network in Bethlehem
and Ramallah, which the latter responded and
faxed them to the organization. This workshop
was deep, critical and objective, that the
teachers were open and relax evaluating the
impact of their implementation of this project.
Dr. Sami gathered information about the impact
of implementing this project on the teachers and
the students from the teachers' perspectives.
However, the time was too short and he couldn't
finish his work as an external evaluator, so he
had to continue his workshop on the second day.
Fr. Raed
organized a tour for the participants to the
historical and religious sites at Taybah. The
tour included visits to the Latin Church, then
to the oldest house at Taybah which is in the
courtyard of the church, and finally to St.
George (Al_Khader) monument. In every stop, Fr.
Raed talked abut the history of the site. Fr.
Raed also talked about his achievements and
future plans for the Taybah community.
The second day
of the evaluation workshop was also very
exciting as the first day. There were three
workshops and one closing session. Dr. Walid
Mustafa –The Coordinator of the Living in the
Holy Land: Respecting Differences project-
talked about Diversity and Pluralism in the
first session. On one hand, he compared between
democratic and non-democratic societies, and on
the other hand, he talked about the relation
between governments and people and the social
contract between them.
Mr. Anton Murra
–AEI Assistant Director- discussed with the
teachers and the school principals, some ways on
how to continue implementing the project under
the present financial difficult circumstances.
Mr. Anton checked the commitment of the teachers
and then along with them put several ways to
maintain the sustainability in implementing the
project. The output of this session was helpful
to Dr. Sami Edwan in his final evaluation.
Dr. Sami Eduwan,
resumed his evaluation workshop, and this time
he focused on the added value the teachers
gained from participating in the students and
teachers training sessions, as well as the
social, religious, national and international
celebrations. The reflection was very deep and
the feedback of the teachers was diverse,
reflecting each teacher and school experience.
There was
supposed to be another external evaluator from
Holland called Miss Iris Mejies, who came
in April precisely to evaluate the Living in the
Holy Land: Respecting Differences project but
she couldn't be on time. However, her evaluation
remarks will be added and attached to the
general evaluation of the project.
The closing
session, included an oral report and feedback
from Dr. Sami Edwan about the impact of the
project from the teachers' perspectives. Dr.
Sami promised to send the Arab Educational
Institute a written report for the evaluation.
At the end of
the evaluation workshop, Mr. Fuad Giacaman – AEI
General Director- thanked the funders, school
teachers and principals, and the lecturers for
their encouragement, support and dedication
throughout the past ten years in the successful
implementation of the this inter-religious
project. |
