Why do I believe that I’m worth your support and donations?
My passion with education and teaching started after I had graduated with a B.A in English Literature in 2008. Since then, I have been working as an English Language and Literature teacher, and the passion of my profession developed within me a vision for the future of education in the Gaza Strip. The plan is to utilize my knowledge to make a positive change and work in favor of the greater well-being of my community; the Gazan community that is struggling socially, economically, and politically to cope with the emerging world and its challenges. Therefore, I have tackled different issues in Gaza, investigated them, and narrowed my options to accurately target an issue that I can serve and work on. Based on my university degree, the skills that I gained during my study, and the background knowledge of my community needs that I reinforced through volunteering at an NGO for community education, I knew that immersing myself into education, understanding its challenges, standards, and quality will give me the opportunity to cause a tangible impact in the lives of my fellow Gazans and into my society through turning the difficulties encountered by education into opportunities of development in the Gaza Strip.
My plan towards my community:
STEP ONE: As I graduated in 2008, I applied to work in the Educational Department of UNRWA in Gaza Strip, and I was luckily employed based on a one year contract to work as a Remedial Teaching Project Coordinator in Rafah Refugee Camp UNRWA Schools. On one hand, I could point out, through my school visits and meetings with students, teachers, and school principals, the indispensable urgency to work on many educational challenges and shortfalls in different schools. Such challenges included the lack of technology in education, the over crowdedness of classrooms that could reach to 40 – 50 students per class, the teacher’s motivation and seriousness to deal with the work load and stress, and the quality teaching of the school’s curricula. On the other hand, I could form a better understanding of the educational system and curricula in Palestine, the challenges encountered by both students and teachers in the learning process, and the quality of education that is jeopardized through quantitative learning.
STEP TWO: I started the change with myself and sought professional development in education through teacher training courses and workshops, and I started working at AMIDEAST – Gaza as an English Trainer in 2009 and the American International School of Gaza – AISG as a full-time English language teacher in 2010. The uniqueness of my experience in these two international institutions produced two main outcomes for me. First, it has widened my vision about the future of education in my country and gave me the catalyst to be a prime mover in the field of international education development through seeking an international education experience. According to that, I volunteered to act as an educational coordinator and advisor for my students. Generally, I helped and guided the students to different international educational programs. Such programs would enable them to seek undergraduate studies abroad or participate at exchange visiting programs such as the Albert Schweitzer’s Leadership for Life program in Ireland, the YES exchange program in USA, the Hope Fund that help Palestinians seek undergraduate studies in USA, and the Seeds of Peace Summer Camp in USA. Also, I gave leadership and writing workshops to prepare students for any future international experience they would like to go through.
STEP THREE: With all that being mentioned, there are still so many educational issues that need to be addressed and reformed. Such issues are related to the quality of education, the necessity to include technology in education, teacher training plan, student-centered and international-oriented curricula that would enable students to link their educational endeavors towards the development of their community in link with the different global changes and needs.
Therefore, being part of an MA in International Education and Development at the University of Leicester will give me the opportunity to understand the complex relationship between local and international issues and their effect on education, the educational policies and practices from an international perspective, and the skills needed for a better strategic planning and educational resource development. I’m also equally confident that after the completion of my MA study, I would be able to provide the consultancy and recommendations needed for the creation of a national developed educational system, coordinate with local and international NGOs and seek developmental contributions to the educational sector, and promote internationalization of education through spreading the awareness of its significance on the development of the Palestinian community. If you have any inquiries, please contact me on ferwana.ahmed@gmail.com or through skype: ferwana_a I will be more than glad to set for an interview and explain my mission in more and more details. Thank you for being part of this mission.
Click here to donate and help Ahmed get his Master in Education in the UK, so he can help the future generations of kids in Gaza have a better life through quality education
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