'File 11/32 Royal Commission on Palestine' [‎14r] (27/308)

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Palestinian citizens, and this is accounted for by the fact that their
chief interest is in the Jewish Community itself. Allegiance to
Palestine and to the Government are minor considerations to many
of them.
The Commission do not support the criticism of the restriction
of the municipal franchise to Palestinian citizens. It is most desirable
that all persons who intend to reside permanently in the country
should become Palestinian citizens, and this qualification for voting
^ a direct inducement to them to do so.
^ Chapter XVI.—Education
It seems unfortunate that the Administration has been unable to
do more for education. It is not only the intrinsic value of education
that should be considered. Any efforts to raise the material
standards of life among the fellaheen Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. can only be successful if they
have received sufficient mental training to profit from technical
instruction. Considering the inadequacy of the existing provision
for Arab education, the Administration should regard its claims on
the revenue as second in importance only to those of public security.
Worse than the insufficiency of Arab schools, however, is the
nationalist character of the education provided in the schools of both
communities and for that the Commission can see no remedy at all.
The ideal system of education would be a single bi-national system
for both races. But that is virtually impossible under the Mandate,
which prescribes " the right of each community to maintain its own
schools for the education of its own members in its own language.”
The existing Arab and Jewish school systems are definitely widening
and will continue to widen the gulf between the two races.
Wherever practicable, e.g., in new technical or trade schools,
rafxed education should be promoted.
^As regards the Jews’ claim for a larger grant for their system of
i^ducation, the Commission consider that, until much more has been
spent on the development of Arab education, so as to place it on a
level with that of the Jews, it is unjustifiable to increase the grant
to the latter, however desirable it might be in other circumstances.
The extent to which the Jews have taxed themselves for education
is one of the best features of the National Home ; and such “ self-
help ” deserves all support ; but it should not be given by altering
the present proportion between the grant to the Jews and the
amount spent on the Arabs ; it should result from an increase in the
total expenditure on education.
The contrast between the Arab and Jewish systems of education
is most striking at the top. The Jews have a university of high
quality. The Arabs have none and the young intelligenzia of the
country are unable to complete their education without the cost
and inconvenience of going abroad. In any further discussion of