Dr Busaina F. Nazzal is a TVET Advisor/ROC on the FSSP Project in Palestine.
Extensive experiences in Palestine, Cyprus, and Turkey, in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MELP), Strategic Planning, inclusive Education, proposal writing, Specialist with more than 15 years of experience working for various international Organizations and local Palestinian NGO’s. Extensive Technical, Operational working for donors including USAID, Save the Children.
Working in different organizations, local and international help her be an accomplished communicator, with excellent organizational, decision making, and time management skills, and has a proven track record of consistently meeting and regularly surpassing demanding performance goals.
Moving Forwards by Reflecting Back: Towards an Inclusive TVET system in Palestine
People with disabilities comprise 5.2% of the Palestine population . They considered as a marginalized group especially in the labor market compared to the others at the same age ( 18-40).
The focus on disability-inclusive vocational training has been heightened by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), 2006. Palestine like any other state is required to ensure that persons with disabilities can access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on equal basis with others (Art. 24), and to enable them to have effective access to technical and vocational guidance programs, placement services and vocational and continuing training (Art. 27).
A survey was conducted in 2021 to identify the type of barriers which face people with disabilities pertaining their involvement in the TVET system in Palestine . Different types of barriers have been highlighted regarding the lack of the adaptation in different fields and at specific levels , as follows;
- Level one: the Physical environment
- Level two: training materials
- Level three: communication approaches \ via online modality or frontal
- Level four : training delivery approaches
- Level five : transportation and accessibility of the training
- Level six : COVID-Measures pertaining PwD .
Furthermore, the study singled out the multiple discrimination faced by people with disabilities which requires appropriate measures so that they can enjoy the rights and the fundamental freedoms that it sets out, including the right to vocational training. This needs
- National Policy which support the involvement of the persons with disabilities in general training and employment-related services.
- Work places, buildings and transport should be made accessible;
- teaching methods, materials and evaluation methods should be reviewed and adapted to meet and respond to their needs.
- TVET workforce capacity to teach trainees with disabilities alongside non-disabled trainees should be strengthened;
- system of on-going support to inclusion, including reasonable accommodation, should be developed;
- resources should be allocated to make these changes possible.