For the second consecutive year, Yasser Arafat Foundation, in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education, conducted the final round of the National Knowledge Competition at the Palestinian Red Crescent Theater in Al-Bireh on Saturday, 6 April 2019. 

Dr. Nasser Alkidwa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yasser Arafat Foundation, Dr. Sabri Saidam, Minister of Education and Higher Education, other prominent members of the community and students attended the competition.

Al-Thahriya Secondary School for Boys in south Hebron won first place in the competition in the West Bank.  Aylabon Secondary School for Girls in east Khan Younis won first place in the Gaza Strip and will be honored at the Foundation’s headquarters in Gaza.

Talae’ Al-Amal Secondary School in Nablus took second place and Izz Al-Din Al-Qalaq Secondary School in Jenin won third place.

The competition aims to evaluate and broaden students’ awareness of their Palestinian national identity and contemporary history. 

The Foundation places particular emphasis on focusing the competition in public schools because of its potential to promote and develop awareness of the national narrative and culture and a strong belief in the students’ ability to contribute positively to their society.

The competition included approximately 90,000 students from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem.  During the first phase, 18 schools qualified and three students were chosen to represent their school for the second phase.  Held in Al-Muntada Hall at Yasser Arafat Museum, the second phase consisted of eight parts broadcast over TV. 

Following the second phase, six schools qualified for the pre-finals, then three for the finals:  Izz-Al Din Al-Qalaq Secondary School in Jenin, Talae’ Al-Amal Secondary School in Nablus and Al-Thahriya Secondary School in Hebron.

At the awards ceremony for the winning schools, the representative students in the three winning teams each received:

*First Place:  a high-quality laptop; US$400; a trip to the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon

*Second Place:  a high-quality iPad and US$300

*Third Place:  a high-quality tablet and US$200