Overall aim: To secure expanded and equitable opportunities to quality education for all Palestinians, particularly the most vulnerable.

Palestinians place great value on education and, despite decades of systematic attempts by the Israeli occupation to undermine Palestinian education, have achieved remarkably high attainment rates in literacy, basic and higher education. In recent years, however, the lack of adequate funds and the ongoing Israeli-imposed movement restrictions have threatened to undermine the entire Palestinian education system. The PA is responsible for educational services for 1.1 million students in the WBGS, an increase of more than 60%in student enrolment since the PA assumed responsibility for the sector. Currently, it employs 54,000 teachers and administrators and operates 3,300 schools. While the Palestinian Ministry of Education was able to make significant gains in literacy levels, school enrollment and retention rates over the first decade of its operations, some of these gains, such as enrolment at basic level, have eroded.

Continued movement restrictions, and particularly Israel's construction of the apartheid wall, make going to school difficult and irregular at best and often dangerous or impossible for many students and teachers, particularly in the northern West Bank and around Jerusalem. The inability to provide an adequate sense of security and continuity also damages efforts to provide quality school education.

Quality education, a challenge across all geographic regions of WA's work, is of particular concern in Jerusalem. Improving the quality of vocational training and education is a priority in both Jerusalem and Lebanon. At the pre-school level, services have not been able to keep up with the growing population and observers are increasingly concerned about a decline in quality of Early  childhood Education and Development (ECED) services, not only in the WBGS but also within Palestinian communities in Lebanon and in the 1948 area. Experts also cite a significant decline in the quality of Palestinian higher education over the past decade. The long-term economic crisis has threatened the ability of many Palestinian universities and colleges to maintain operations; continued provision of student financial support is likewise critical to ensuring that thousands of economically disadvantaged students in good academic standing are able to continue their higher education in WBGS and in Lebanon.