ACCESS PROJECT in Amal 1 Zarzeer High School Under the Supervision and funding of

1. ACCESS PROJECT in Amal 1 Zarzeer High School Under the Supervision and funding of The Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy March 30th 2009

2. A preview of: • Bet Zarzeer – Village & Community • Historical Background of Amal 1 Zarzeer High School • Access Project in the school • Future Assistance Required • Appreciation 2

3. Bet Zarzeer village - background Bet Zarzeer village is a compound of 5 small Bedouin villages Jawamees, Grifat, Heib, Eyadat and Mazareeb Its population is 7000. The residents in the village are mainly of low – middle socio-economic background who mainly are labor workers Despite financial difficulties for many of the families, in the last decade, education has been top priority and a respected number of the school graduates have joined universities and colleges all around the country. 3

4. Amal 1 Zarzeer High School: • The school was established in 1988 • It is the only high school in the village • 50 very well qualified academic teachers 3 PhD. 12 Masters Degree 32 Bachelor Degree 3 Senior Teacher Certificate All with a teaching Certificate 4

5. 15 classes • 464 pupils – 251 Female (55%) and 213 Male(45%) • The pupils major in one of the following fields: • Sciences – Physics / Biology / Chemistry • Electronics / Electricity • Humanities – Geography, History and Languages • Accounting and Administration • Electronic Media • All the students are prepared for the Ministry’s Bagrut Examinations – Matriculation Exams

6. Our Bagrut Results • We are below the national average in our results. • Specifically in the English language there is a tremendous need to raise the level from 3 points to 4 and 5 points. Our goal is enabling our pupils to join the Higher Academic Institutions 6

7. The main factor preventing us from achieving the above goal is; the low educational level of the students who arrive in the tenth grade and the minimal number of hours that we get for teaching the English Language and raising it to a proper level. 14

8. Access at Amal 1 Zarzeer High School • Despite of its short history in the school the project is running smoothly and successfully. • Director and teacher of the project is Dr. Rami Habib Allah • The project is under the supervision of: Dr. Rachel Tal and her cooperative and assisting staff Rina and Mali. 15

9. 24 pupils are participating in the project – 16 are female pupils. It is worthwhile mentioning that this choice was not random. Our belief is that; • “Females are change agents in the society and placing our present investment in them is an outmost profitable decisions for generations to come” 16

10. Our goals • Advancement of the teaching of English, so as to increase the number of 4 point pupils in the Bagrut / Matriculation Exam • Enrichment of English language through providing learning materials, a proper educational atmosphere and Exposing students to all aspects of the English language (reading, writing, speaking and listening) • Acquaint students with various aspects of American history and culture 17

11. Future assistance is required in order to • Continue the advancement of the teaching of English in the Bedouin sector. • Expand the existing projects to include more pupils and even start as early as the tenth grade. • Achieve our main goal and enable our students to reach a qualitative English Language level. 21

12. Appreciation On behalf of the Amal 1 Zarzeer students and teachers, we would like to express our appreciation for the continued support of the U.S. Embassy, including: • Ms. Zeba Reyazuddin, Deputy Cultural Attaché, Public Affairs Office • Ms. Risa Levy, Cultural Affairs Specialist As well as Dr. Rachel Tal, Amal 1 Network, for her initiative to include our school and continuous support in the project. 22

13. Their future – Our commitment