Cornerstone for a PRCS’ High School for the Hearing-Impaired Laid in Ramallah

(Al-Bireh - 14/3/2018): The cornerstone for the construction of a future PRCS’ High School for the Hearing-Impaired was laid today at a ceremony co-organized in Ramallah by PRCS, Ramallah Municipality and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE). The school is to be built on a piece of land allocated by Ramallah Municipality. Held under the auspices of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the ceremony was attended by PRCS’ President Dr. Younis Al Khatib, Palestinian Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Sabri Saidam, Minister of Local Government Dr. Hussein Al A’raj, Ramallah Governor Dr. Layla Ghannam and Ramallah Mayor Musa Hadid, as well as by a large number of local personalities and staff from PRCS, Ramallah Municipality and the two ministries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Al Khatib described the future school’s work and services. He said it shall employ specialized teachers to help students with disabilities acquire the knowledge and skills they need. “PRCS’ currently operates four schools for the hearing-impaired in Al-Bireh, Nablus, Bani Na’im and Khan Younes. They all teach the Palestinian national curriculum via the Total Communication approach that uses a number of modes of communication including signed, oral, auditory and written. We work in cooperation with MoEHE and partners to empower those students and provide them with assistive devices so they can benefit fully from the educational process”, Al Khatib said. He also lauded efforts by Ramallah Municipality which has allocated the land for this future school, and added that this ceremony is held at a timely date as PRCS prepares to mark its 50th anniversary.

Dr. Saidam said MoEHE pays special attention to persons with disabilities and ensures they are fully integrated within the educational process and receive the best education possible. He also spoke about the close ties between MoEHE and PRCS and the many joint programs they implement to help students with disabilities. The Ministry’s strategy, he added, focuses on the integration of disabled students and the provision of a conducive environment that enables them to learn and explore their talents. Finally, Dr. Saidam praised efforts made by PRCS, Ramallah Municipality and Ramallah Governorate in support of education in general, and the education of students with disabilities in particular.

Dr. Ghannam highlighted the need for all relevant institutions to work hand in hand to provide support to students with disabilities. The Governorate, she said, promotes persons with disabilities, ensures they are fully integrated in schools and universities and seeks to create a conducive environment to allow them to thrive and reach their full potential.

Speaking about the future school, Mr. Musa Hadid said that one could see the Mediterranean from the school grounds. “The sea is our border and the sky is the limit”, he said. Ramallah, he added, will thus host a state-of-the-art school that will serve a category of the population who deserve our support and encouragement. Ramallah seeks to be a disabled-friendly city and has adopted policies and guidelines to this end. “All new buildings in the city have to be accessible. We are working to ensure that sidewalks, public services, pedestrian signals and parks are also accessible, in addition to allocating parking spaces and building ramps to make life easier for the disabled. Integrating persons with disabilities in their communities is a top priority. To this end, the Municipality organizes sign-language courses, cultural and children’s activities. It has also issued Braille versions of information leaflets and has introduced sign-language interpretation in its educational and information videos”, Mr. Hadid said.

The school is to be built over two phases. Phase 1 includes the construction of the school, computer labs, a library and a games’ library, a multipurpose hall, a theatre and an in-doors sports hall, while phase 2 will comprise the building of a service center with various social, recreational and sports facilities to the benefit of persons with disabilities.

It is to be noted that the current PRCS’ School for the Hearing-Impaired, located at PRCS’ headquarters in Al-Bireh, is the first of its kind in Palestine and has enabled hearing-impaired students to obtain their high school diploma ever since 2009.

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