EAA Foundation, UNDP sign high-level agreement for 'Rebuilding Hope for Gaza' phase two project

Doha, Qatar: Education Above All Foundation, a global foundation for education and development, signed a historic agreement with the United Nations De...

Doha, Qatar: Education Above All Foundation, a global foundation for education and development, signed a historic agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to ensure the continuity of education for 90,000 high school students in Gaza through the successful administration of electronic General Secondary Examinations (Tawjihi). The agreement, which is supported by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), constitutes Phase Two of EAA Foundation’s flagship initiative, Rebuilding Hope for Gaza, which was initiated in December 2023 as a response to the Gaza conflict.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of, HE Dr. Amjad Saad Suleiman Barham, Palestinian Minister of Education and Higher Education, Fahad Al Sulaiti, Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, Mohammed Al-Kubaisi, Acting CEO, Education Above All Foundation, Chitose Noguchi, Special Representative for the Administrator (UNDP), Moataz Dawabsheh, Programmes Portfolio Manager, UNDP, Ali Nairat, Education Portfolio Manager for Gaza, Ministry of Education and Higher Education Palestine, and Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the State of Qatar HE Fayez Majed Abu Al Rab.

As part of the agreement, EAA Foundation and its partners including UNDP, and with support from QFFD will provide 100 completely furnished educational spaces with dependable internet and steady power supplies. Safe digital testing platforms will be established as part of the project. In order to facilitate online exams even in the context of the current crisis, the project is complemented by the provision of 10,000 tablets to students in need through donation from Heal Palestine and the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and the Ministry of Education Partners.  

Thirty thousand students will receive structured academic support through remedial classes, practice tests, and orientation workshops. Psychosocial support services will also be provided to improve mental health and resilience. The project, which spans this year and the next, uses five exam cycles to target the Tawjihi cohorts. These centres will develop into long-term digital learning hubs thanks to a sustainability plan, which will promote Gaza’s long-term educational recovery.