Story

AI and Coding training is changing students’ lives in Palestine

"The innovation and commitment of our students makes this story a Success Story.”
Engineers Ahmad and Jihad felt a sheer sense of pride as they listened to their students, presenting their innovative work.

13 December 2021

Last update:20 April 2023

24 November 2021, UNESCO Ramallah and the Ministry of Education attended Qabatiyas students' presentations at the Techno Park after a 3-week training on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and coding, with the support of the CapED programme.

In the Techno Park’s rooms, a group of teenagers were gathered around a table going through their presentation slides with their teacher, who they were looking at in pure admiration and respect. There was a number of girls participating in the training.

The number of girls, who applied for the training, was astonishing. Throughout the training, we noticed that the girls were getting even more and more motivated and serious about AI

Ahmad: "one of the teachers"

UNESCO and the Ministry of Education supported the teachers' training, which took place prior to the students' training.

We participated in a ToT training that gave us ideas on ways to pass on information to the students. Knowing how to code is one thing but using it for problem solving in life is something remarkable. We are very thankful for this training, which empowered our capacities as teachers

Ahmad

Despite the delay in the toolkits at the customs clearance, we made things work. This is thanks to the students, who were serious and motivated about the training Jihad added. Despite encountering such challenges, the teachers tried to find alternative solutions. They kept going and this was one of their ways to demonstrate to their students that when they set their mind to something, they could make it work.

Jihad

“I want to be a medical doctor in the future, and I would like to use AI in my profession,” one of the students mentioned. The teachers and students were insisting that such training should be offered to students not only on a weekly basis but should also be integrated in the curriculum. The teachers stressed that these types of trainings were crucial since coding and AI were going to take over the job market in the coming years. They noticed a drastic change in the students’ characters and a major development regarding their interpersonal skills. The students started setting goals and working harder to achieve them. They encountered problems and solved them by themselves, which gave them confidence and helped them to develop their problem-solving and research skills.

Towards the end of the event, students started opening up about their feelings of joy and pride by thanking their teachers for their support and sharing what they learned during the training.

Now we know that the sky is the limit. Prior to the training I was shy, I could have never spoken in front of large crowds, but today I presented the project in English. This I could not have done before. I spent 7 to 14 hours practicing in front of my computer. I realized that I am very passionate about AI and coding. Now I look forward to the technology class since all the girls in my school want to do group projects with me because I am really good at it.

One of the students stated