Ramallah Friends Schools
The Ramallah Friends Schools are two elite Private Schools founded by Quakers in the city of Ramallah, in the West Bank.[1] The Friends Girls' School was inaugurated in 1869; the construction of the Friends Boy's School began in 1901 and opened in 1918.[2] The Schools were run by American Quakers.[3] The schools are now co-educational and divided into Senior and Junior sections; a Meeting House was built in 1910. The Swift Building, located in the upper School and named after Sara Swift of New England, was made the home of the Friends International Center in Ramallah after restoration work was completed.[4] During the first world war the Boy's School was commandeered by Turkish troops for use as a hospital during Allenby's assault on Palestine.[2]
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[edit] Background
The Friends Girls School was originally opened as “The Girls Training Home of Ramallah” and was renamed "Friends Girls School" in 1919. Elihu Grant was the Principal between 1901 and 1903.[5]
[edit] Curriculum
The Friends Schools offer, in both Arabic and English,[6] various educational curricula. These include local governmental examinations: ‘Tawjihi’, American SAT examinations, and the IB curriculum. The school was certified to provide the IB curriculum in 2001 by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).
During the first Intifada the Friends School was closed, as was the case with all schools in Ramallah, during the years of 1988 and 1989 by the Israeli authorities.[7]
[edit] Alumni
- Hanan Ashrawi, politician and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
- Rami Kashou, fashion designer and first runner-up on Season 4 of Project Runway
- Serene Husseini Shahid, writer and historian of Palestinian arts and culture
- Farouk Shami, CEO of Farouk Systems, Inc., an American hair care products company; 2010 Democratic candidate for Governor of Texas in the United States
- Raja Shehadeh, attorney, author, and activist; founder of the human rights group Al-Haq
[edit] Location
The Lower School and kindergarten (Friends Girls School) is located near the centre of the Old City of Ramallah.The girls school is located at 31°54′13.28″N 35°11′57.54″E / 31.9036889°N 35.1993167°E The upper School campus (Friends Boy's School) is located along al Nahdha Street, al-Bireh[8] The boys school is located at 31°54′19″N 35°12′29″E / 31.9054°N 35.2081°E
[edit] Swift House
The Friends International Center regularly host meeting with other NGOs such as the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and the Christian Peacemaker Team.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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- ^ M. Mukarram Ahmed, Muzaffar Husain Syed (2005) Encyclopaedia of Islam Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. ISBN 8126123397 p 249
- ^ a b Michael Dumper, Bruce E. Stanley and Janet L. Abu-Lughod (2007) Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia ABC-CLIO, ISBN 1576079198 p 310
- ^ Manuela Marín and Randi Deguilhem (2002) Writing the Feminine: Women in Arab Sources I.B.Tauris, ISBN 1860646972 pp 59-60
- ^ Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Report on the Friends International Committee Consultation in Ramallah March 4 to 13, 2005
- ^ Friends School Ramallah/al Bireh
- ^ http://www.fum.org/worldmissions/ramallah.html
- ^ John Daniel, World University Service, Frederick De Vlaming, Nigel Hartley (1993) Academic Freedom 2: A Human Rights Report Zed Books, ISBN 1856492192 p 81
- ^ Frieds School Ramallah/al Bireh
- ^ Ramallah Quakers Friends International Center in Ramallah January - February 2009 Newsletter (Vol. III No. 1)
[edit] External links
- Quaker schools
- International Baccalaureate schools in the Palestinian territories
- Educational institutions established in 1869
- Educational institutions established in 1901
- Organizations based in Israel
- Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Ramallah
- Schools in the West Bank
