Fidaq Zaatar

Since childhood, Fidaq wanted to be a teacher. The first Intifada happened during her university years and she had to go through several Israeli checkpoints every day to go to class, sometimes waiting for hours. She nevertheless wanted to instill values of patriotism, respect, justice and tolerance in young people.

Now Fidaq teaches in an elementary school for girls in Nablus. Her pupils come from underprivileged backgrounds where most parents are illiterate or have very little academic education and do not appreciate the value of their daughters’ education. To fight this attitude, she holds regular seminars on the importance of women’s education and the role it plays in advancing society. Every week she invites parents to join their daughters in class.

Fidaq’s teaching methods centre on computerised interactive lessons for 1st and 2nd year pupils. She also includes self-made cartoons, drama and music in her lessons, which creates a stimulating learning environment. To address behavioural issues and foster leadership, democracy and teamwork, she often asks her students to work in groups. As a result, the rate of absenteeism has gone down significantly and all students learn to read within one year.

Fidaq trains other teachers in the region in e-learning and active learning strategies and has been sharing her lessons via recorded CDs and videos.