Education Development among Bedouin Tribes of the Negev Desert. [Paper and Discussion.]
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| Title: | Education Development among Bedouin Tribes of the Negev Desert. [Paper and Discussion.] |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Abu-Rabia, Aref |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 1987 |
| Document Type: | Speeches/Meeting Papers |
| Descriptors: | Bilingual Education, Cultural Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Enrollment, Family Influence, Foreign Countries, Modernization, Nomads, Traditionalism, Womens Education |
| Geographic Terms: | Israel |
| Abstract: | About 60,000 Bedouins live in the Negev Desert, which comprises 60% of Israel. Of these, about half live in towns, a third live in settlements of huts for all or part of the year, while a sixth continue to follow traditional nomadic practices. The number of Bedouin children enrolled in school has grown from 150 in 1950 to about 16,000 in 1986. Girls make up 40% of the elementary enrollment and 25% of the secondary enrollment. There are 29 elementary and 3 secondary schools in the Negev, staffed by 626 teachers, about half of whom are Bedouins. Traditional values and customs related to family life, marriage, and child rearing are still strong among the Bedouins, and young people are torn between traditional and modern ways. However, formal education is coming to play an important role in Bedouin society, and its value is growing. This paper includes the transcript of a discussion that followed presentation of the paper. Topics covered during the discussion are: (1) polygamy and the rights of half-siblings; (2) the reasons that some Bedouin children do not attend school at all; (3) female education; (4) negative attitudes toward vocational education; (5) the tension between traditionalism and modernization; (6) cultural education; and (7) language of instruction issues (Bedouin dialect, literary Arabic, and Hebrew). (SV) |
| Entry Date: | 1992 |
| Accession Number: | ED339560 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | About 60,000 Bedouins live in the Negev Desert, which comprises 60% of Israel. Of these, about half live in towns, a third live in settlements of huts for all or part of the year, while a sixth continue to follow traditional nomadic practices. The number of Bedouin children enrolled in school has grown from 150 in 1950 to about 16,000 in 1986. Girls make up 40% of the elementary enrollment and 25% of the secondary enrollment. There are 29 elementary and 3 secondary schools in the Negev, staffed by 626 teachers, about half of whom are Bedouins. Traditional values and customs related to family life, marriage, and child rearing are still strong among the Bedouins, and young people are torn between traditional and modern ways. However, formal education is coming to play an important role in Bedouin society, and its value is growing. This paper includes the transcript of a discussion that followed presentation of the paper. Topics covered during the discussion are: (1) polygamy and the rights of half-siblings; (2) the reasons that some Bedouin children do not attend school at all; (3) female education; (4) negative attitudes toward vocational education; (5) the tension between traditionalism and modernization; (6) cultural education; and (7) language of instruction issues (Bedouin dialect, literary Arabic, and Hebrew). (SV) |
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