Education and Qualifications

Talitha Kumi forms part of the international network of German foreign schools since the beginning of the school year 2008/09. We follow the Palestinian curriculum in elementary school and add German as a foreign language in second grade. From 7th grade on, students can choose between two  different branches: the national curriculum and the international curriculum.

The national curriculum leads to the Palestinian high school degree (Tawjihi), the international one to the German International Abitur (DIAP). The DIAP is recognized worldwide, opening new possibilities for studying abroad. In contrast, the educational possibilities with the national degree, the Tawjihi, are much more limited.

While German is merely taught as a foreign language in the national curriculum, at least 50 percent of all classes in the international curriculum are taught in German. From grade seven on, students receive intense German training of at least 20 hours a week. Mathematics, Physics, History, and Geography are taught in German. Ten more hours of classes are taught in English, and the remaining ten hours in Arabic to advance native language skills as well. During the course of their study for the Abitur exam, students have to pass intermediate exams in grades eight and ten in the subjects German, English, Mathematics, and in one science subject.

The national degree, the Tawjihi, is awarded after a Palestinian exam which is centrally administered by the Palestinian Education Department at the end of 12 school years. With the help of their teachers, students decide after grade ten if they want to proceed with a science-oriented or an arts-oriented curriculum. In both branches, students qualify for study at local universities. If they  pass an additional German exam and obtain the German Language Diploma at level 2 (DSD 2), students are also eligible to study at a German university. The DSD is a standardized German exam which is offered at the end of grades 11 and 12.