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المركز الوطني للتشخيص وعلاج أطفال مرضي التوحد

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‎المركز الوطني للتشخيص وعلاج أطفال مرضي التوحد‎. 2,870 likes · 275 talking about this. Health & Wellness Website

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Montessori trained in Jordan providing Montessori teacher training.

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المدربة الدولية د. نور الصقر القادري

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‎المدربة الدولية د. نور الصقر القادري‎, ‎ليبيا‎. 4.7K likes. ‎التربيه هي الفهم بحب‎

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Montessori training and helps nurseries set up Montessori settings.

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مركز منتسوري الليبي - Montessori Libyan Center

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‎مركز منتسوري الليبي - Montessori Libyan Center‎, Tripoli. 16K likes. ‎- نقدم الدعم العلمي في مجال التعليم المبكر بطريقة منتسوري - تجهيز غرفة منتسوري والتدريب للطاقم التعليمي - تجيهزالروضات...

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Montessori nursery in Misurata.

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الكفاءة - اكاديمية منتسوري montessori academy

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‎الكفاءة - اكاديمية منتسوري montessori academy‎, ‎مصراتة‎. 14K likes. ‎منتسوري اكاديمي للتعليم المبكر الحديث اول مرة في مصراتة نظام المنتسورى طريقة عملية مبسطة فى التعليم بعيداً عن التلقين و الحفظ‎

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المركز الوطني للتشخيص وعلاج أطفال مرضي التوحد

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‎المركز الوطني للتشخيص وعلاج أطفال مرضي التوحد‎. 2,554 likes · 280 talking about this. Health & Wellness Website

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The need to rebuild Libya higher education system . . .

Wagdy Sawahel posted a piece on in Issue No: 418) about the Libyan higher education system. She based her article on a new report entitled University World News (The Reality of Higher Education in Libya. This study was published last month by the Libyan Organization of Policies and Strategies or LOOPS, an independent, non-profit public policy research body that provides "analysis and recommendations on current and emerging issues to promote the adoption of sound policies."

Below are some excerpts of Sawahel article in University World News:

"Poor investment, weak capacity and security, as well as political instability and onerous bureaucracy in war-torn Libya have produced a higher education system characterized by inadequate infrastructure and graduates poorly prepared for jobs, according to this new report. Its report indicates that 15% of an estimated total of 342,895 students drop out of the country's 12 public universities before completing their degrees. Among those who do finish, half remain unemployed. More than half (59%) of university students are female and most (around 90%) are enrolled in public universities. The ratio of students to faculty staff and to instructors (demonstrators) is 31:1 and 83:1 respectively.
Decades of neglect
Most foreign and local university staff have left the country as a result of political instability, resulting in a shortage of human resources. The country has been marked by civil and political unrest since the 2011 civil war that ended Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule. The report also highlights overcrowding as a problem. The University of Tripoli was cited as currently enrolling more than 100,000 students, although it was originally designed to cope with approximately 30,000. A high rate of first-year admissions was partly the result of fraud in the secondary school certificate which led to overcrowding in first-year courses.

According to the report, construction and maintenance projects aimed at developing infrastructure at major universities have stopped. As a whole, the higher education system faces huge challenges after decades of neglect, resulting in outdated curricula that no longer match Libyans' academic, social or economic aspirations. In addition, teaching methods often lack a student-centred and learning-led approach, the report notes. Compounding the problems has been the indiscriminate spread of universities and institutes without links to educational objectives, demographic and cultural characteristics, and economic and labour market needs.
Private universities
According to the LOOPS report, private universities and higher learning institutes that suffer from low education quality and weak performance have become havens for students who fail to gain admission to public universities. "Private universities offer a limited number of courses and fees from students continue to be their major source of income. They are profit-makers in a country that had been wedded to a culture of socialism for more than 40 years," wrote Jalal Abider in a 2016 doctoral thesis entitled Financing Policy for Higher Education and the Role of the Private Sector in Libya.

"Private institutions do not provide professional training in fields relevant to employment opportunities but instead offer an education with its emphasis on the human sciences, qualifications which are unlikely to enable a graduate to obtain employment," Abider wrote. Also, private higher education is expensive. Furthermore, increased spending on overseas scholarship programmes has not produced a return, the report notes, as few students go back to Libya. In 2015, the scholarship programme budget was estimated at LYD144 million (US$105 million).

Current estimates of the number of government-funded students abroad is 17,900, with the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Egypt and Malaysia being among the most popular destinations.
The way forward
The LOOPS report indicated that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research should develop legal and academic regulations to ensure universities can act independently to improve teaching, research, administration and financial systems. The ministry should also work on restructuring and consolidating Libya's higher education provision, focusing on access, equity and diversity, build greater capacity for high-level research at universities, and re-engage the international community through global networks of researchers, students and institutions that can help Libya recover and develop.

The report concludes by recommending that each university prepare and implement a plan for developing its teaching and scientific workforce along with promoting education and research quality in order to produce industry-ready graduates and contribute to providing solutions to Libya's developmental challenges."

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The Reality of Higher Education in Libya - MENA-Forum

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Wagdy Sawahel posted a piece on in Issue No: 418) about the Libyan higher education system. She based her article on a new report entitled University World News ( The Reality of Higher Education in Libya.

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Minister of Education Othman Abdul Jalil discussed with the French Ambassador to Libya Béatrice du Hellen the aspects of joint cooperation between the two countries in the field of tertiary education and schooling in general.

This came during a meeting held Wednesday at the ministry's HQ in Tripoli, where the two sides discussed a number of topics, including the introduction of the French language in secondary classes.

The French ambassador presented a proposal for implementing a training program to prepare teachers for tutoring the French language and contribute to developing the educational curriculum, in addition to the possibility of the contribution of French companies in printing the textbook.

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Minister of Education discusses educational cooperation with French

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Minister of Education Othman Abdul Jalil discussed with the French Ambassador to Libya Béatrice du Hellen the aspects of joint cooperation between the two countries in the field of tertiary education and schooling in general.

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Minister of Education, Othman Abdul Jalil discussed with Italian Ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Grimaldi means to enhance cooperation and partnership between the two countries in the field of education.

The meeting, which was held at the ministry's HQ in Tripoli, on Thursday, addressed the possibility of including the Italian language in the school curriculum as an optional language, as well as training staff members of the Italian language department in the Libyan universities and providing books and educational materials.

The two sides also considered ways to activate the friendship agreement between the two countries in the field of scholarships for Libyan students and facilitate their procedures.

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Minister of Education seeks Italian cooperation in educational field

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Minister of Education, Othman Abdul Jalil discussed with Italian Ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Grimaldi means to enhance cooperation and partnership between the two countries in the field of education.

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• Education in Libya

• begins with primary education, which is both free and compulsory. Children in Libya between the ages of 6 and 15 attend primary school and then attend secondary school for three additional years (15- to 18-year-olds).

• Education is free and compulsory between ages 6 and 15. Pre-primary students may enter school as early as four years of age and full-grown adults may attend primary school if they missed it earlier in life. There is no upper limit on age.

• Teachers: There were 36,591 primary school teachers in Libya in 1980. By 1990, there were more than 85,537 primary teachers, of whom 47 percent were female teachers. Moreover, most teaching positions were no longer dominated by foreign teachers from Egypt, Palestine, and other nations. Libya has trained Libyan teachers to fill most positions, and 47 percent of these teachers are now women. The teacher to student ratio is 18 to 1.

• Teacher training:

• Most teachers begin training for primary school teaching after completing a five year post-primary or two year postsecondary diploma. Teacher training programs often take four years to complete. Trainees take general education courses, after which they specialize in one of the following areas: mathematics and science, arts, religion, Arabic, physical education, social studies, English, or music education. Graduates receive a general teacher's certificate. Upper level secondary school teachers attend classes at one of Libya's universities and take courses in the Department of Education leading to a bachelor's degree in education. Some secondary school teachers specialize in education in college, but most specialize in history, math, physics, literature, or the subject they teach.

• British council offer a variety of teacher training courses.

• Universities:

• Libya has three major universities that grant bachelor's degrees: Gar Yunis University Benghazi. Al-Fetah University Tripoli now called Tripoli university and Marsa Berga Technical University.

Faculty of Education at Tripoli University
Offers a degree in Early Years Education as well as other Education degrees

Montessori in Libya

Many private schools and nurseries claim to be Montessori but have no accreditation or qualified Montessori teachers working in them.

Montessori projects in Libya
Set up of two Montessori classrooms for special needs centre catering for special needs children. Teachers are highly qualified in special needs but have no Montessori qualifications.

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Education Minister discusses with EU ambassador educational

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The Minister of Education, Othman Abdul Jalil reviewed with the European Union ambassador to Libya, Alan Bugeja on Friday modalities for developing the educational process in Libya, in cooperation with the European Union.

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This is a school that claims to be a Montessori school but has no resemblance to a Montessori school.

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This is a school that claims to be a Montessori school but has no resemblance to a Montessori school.

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Libya - Education, Nursery school, Montessori, Defensive Driving in Libya,Partner in Education,Professional Training,On Road Safety Training !

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PCELTers discuss current conditions for youth and educators in Libya with PAO Allison Lee before class

Last week, a classroom in #Tunis was a site for celebration for 12 Libyan teachers. "We are all from different backgrounds and different cities, but we came together here and became better teachers and better versions of ourselves," said Haifa Omar Yahya. Haifa is an English teacher at the University of #Tripoli. She was speaking at a graduation ceremony where she and her colleagues celebrated the completion of their PCELT program.

The PCELT is a 120-hour course for current and future #English language teachers in the Middle East and North Africa developed by AMIDEAST in partnership with the World Learning/SIT Graduate Institute. It was designed to meet the specific needs of English language teachers and learners in the MENA region. Since 2011, #AMIDEAST has graduated over 500 PCELT alumni across the #MENA region, including over 60 alumni in Tunisia, but this valuable #training program has never been offered in Libya. Recognizing the value of ongoing professional development for young teachers in #Libya, AMIDEAST partnered with the U.S. Mission for Libya to provide #PCELT training for 12 Libyan teachers at the AMIDEAST offices in #Tunis.

The PCELT is an intensive course that required trainees devote a month of their summer break to a rigorous training schedule where they take on the roles of both student and teacher. The first part of their day was devoted to training on subjects ranging from lesson planning, to #classroom management, to creating learner-centered classrooms. The second half of their day was spent putting their training into practice, delivering lessons to real students and then receiving detailed feedback from their trainers and their peers. "Each minute in the program provides something new," said Haifa. "My teaching has been completely reformed."

PCELTers delivered lessons to real English language learners

AMIDEAST sought to recruit teachers from every region in Libya, working in public schools from the primary to the university level. "I was frankly a little surprised that we could find them and how easy it was to find them, and not only that but we found some great candidates as well," said Chris Shinn, Country Director for AMIDEAST in Tunisia. Through the generous funding of the U.S. Mission for Libya, #AMIDEAST was able to provide flights, accommodations, and tuition for the teachers. Allison Lee, Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Mission to Libya, had the opportunity to meet the teacher trainees and observe one of their lessons before the course ended. "It was such a pleasure to meet the Libyan English teachers at AMIDEAST during their PCELT training," Ms. Lee said. "I am impressed by their high level of dedication and their enthusiasm in learning new methods. I know they and their students face many challenges, and we stand with them in developing the skills of Libya's next generation."

Newly certified PCELTer Mohamed Salah Massoud Mohamed Abdusalam with AMIDEAST Country Director Chris Shinn and Public Affairs Officer Allison Lee.

AMIDEAST is proud to be a part of this grant, which not only provided high-quality English teacher training for #young Libyan #teachers, but also created a #network of young teachers in Libya and prepared them to share resources and ideas with each other. Ultimately, these 12 teachers have gained skills and confidence that will benefit not only themselves and their colleagues, but their students as well. In the words of PCELT alumnus Abdessalem Mohamed Messaoud, "I'm sure that the teacher that came from Libya to participate in this program is not the same one that will go back to his class."

AMIDEAST Country Director Chris Shinn, English Language Program Manager Amy Mabrouk, and Public Affairs Officer Allison Lee pose with PCELTers and their students after the graduation ceremony

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Last week, a classroom in #Tunis was a site for celebration for 12 Libyan teachers. "We are all from different backgrounds and different cities, but we came together here and became better teachers and better versions of ourselves," said Haifa Omar Yahya. Haifa is an English teacher at the University of #Tripoli.

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It was an idea that grew from a chat over coffee and cake in the Café Roma, which in Tripoli, is where all the best ideas take shape. Emma had recently returned to Libya after being evacuated during the 2011 Revolution, whilst I was an enthusiastic new arrival to the country. The obvious challenges of working in a post-war nation aside, for both of us the 'New Libya' offered a wealth of developmental opportunities and we were looking for a project to become involved with in addition to our day-to-day duties at IH Tripoli. As EFL teachers, the shortage of teacher training in the Libyan public education sector seemed like something we could positively influence during our time here. Several cappuccinos later and the seeds of the 'English for Libya' Teacher Training Project had been sown.

The outcome of our initial discussion was a loosely worded project mission statement: "to design and deliver a series of four consecutive teacher training workshops for preparatory and secondary English language teachers at Libyan state schools." The workshops should "present a communicative approach to teaching vocabulary, reading, speaking and writing, using the core materials of the Libyan National curriculum: the English for Libya (Garnet Publishing, 2008) series", and would be brought to a close when participating teachers had been observed attempting to use some of the practised techniques in their own teaching contexts.

First-hand research was vital to establish the scope of educational contexts in which Libyan state school teachers currently worked. Neither of us had actually set foot inside a Libyan school before and so were in the dark about the resources and facilities that teachers had available to them, not to mention the main issues that were important to them and the challenges they faced on a day to day basis. Gaining direct access to schools wasn't always straightforward however; at times requiring expeditions to the Ministry of Education for letters of authorisation with proof of our occupational status. Several schools were reluctant to admit us due to concerns about the permissibility of our visit according to changing governmental regulations. Moreover, once inside these institutions, some of the classes we observed had already been 'rehearsed' so that students were primed for our arrival.

Over the various visits we undertook, however, what struck us the most was the boundless enthusiasm and motivation of both the teenage students, and - perhaps more notably - their teachers of English! At one point we were worried we would not be able to convince enough individuals to give up four valuable Saturday mornings, but it quickly became clear that just the opposite was true. In a country where the majority of government teachers receive no formal teacher training and many are fresh-faced English graduates recruited straight out of university, the demand for such training hugely outweighs the number of opportunities available. In a matter of days we somehow recruited more eager teachers to the project than we could fit into our classroom.

The group was a diverse one, including teachers from a range of preparatory and secondary schools across Tripoli, with varied teaching experience and levels of English (from CEF A1-B2). Aside from their professional backgrounds, all twenty-six participants had one thing in common - they were all women. Libyan society is fairly strictly segregated, a social norm which is extended to many schools. Even though the project was never intended to be such, it was particularly significant for us to have the opportunity to work with the female educators of young Libyan women.

With a list of enthusiastic participants signed up and ready to go, we set about planning and preparing training materials. Though they were to be delivered as a series of four, it was agreed that for the sake of the attendees (many of whom were working mothers with family commitments) each workshop would also stand alone, independent of the others. The sessions themselves were primarily skills based, with the exception of 'teaching vocabulary'. In the spirit of providing training applicable to the teachers' own contexts, from the beginning of the project we adopted a 'resources-light' policy which utilised only the resources that our teachers would have available to them in their educational institutions. In practice this meant no IWBs, computers, CD players or other gadgets requiring an electricity supply; minimal photocopying; and the proscription of any published resources except the standard government coursebook 'English for Libya'. Accordingly, 'listening' was omitted as most of the classrooms we visited did not have access to the course listening materials, nor the facilities necessary to use them.

First introduced as part of a curriculum innovation in 2000 (and re-printed in 2008), one of the aims of the 'English for Libya' series was to promote a shift away from teacher-centred teaching. In practice, however, student-centred, communicative language teaching methods have yet to be widely implemented in Libyan classrooms and unsurprisingly a number of ideas we proposed in the workshops were met with resistance. Reading aloud (both by the teacher and individual students) is a widespread practice in Libyan schools, and the suggestion that doing this does not actually constitute reading, nor is it beneficial to students' communication was quite astonishing to some. So too was the proposition that unmarked, error-ridden work might be pinned up on the wall for peers to read, or that writing tasks should be set in class and not only for homework because "there's never enough time during the lesson!" For one lovely participant, the revelation that native-speaker teachers actually make errors as well apparently came as quite a shock!

Feedback on the delivery of the project has been very important to us as first-time, self-appointed teacher trainers. In particular, participants noted how the workshops had helped them with aspects of lesson planning, classroom management, feedback and correction techniques. Though we could not resolve many of the problems faced in their schools (such as mixed ability classes, a lack of institutional support, and the demands of meeting the unrealistic expectations of educational inspectors) we hope the sessions provided simple, practical means to better their teaching in other respects. At the end of the four weeks all the participants agreed to renew their efforts to minimise the use of L1 (Arabic) in class, and to try out some of the new techniques they had been exposed to. To date we have been told of both experimental successes and failures in their application, but by far the most rewarding outcome of the project is the knowledge that our participants' teaching practice has been revitalised as a result of their attendance. For our part, observing teachers in-situ gave us the opportunity to develop an awareness of the educational system to which many of our students had been exposed over the years, and therefore, a better understanding of our own learners' needs.

When the project came to an end all the teachers received International House Tripoli certificates confirming their presence at the four sessions. For many of them these pieces of paper are the only evidence of teacher training that they have and so they were thrilled to finally collect them. Some of these ladies are already furthering their own language skills by attending General English courses at International House Tripoli and during the next academic year we hope several will complete the Cambridge TKT Exam (currently offered at IH Tripoli) or the CELTA. Finally, we were delighted to learn that one of our participating teachers has also recently been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to work as an Arabic Teaching Assistant in the United States. Whatever the future holds for them, we wish all of our participating teachers the very best of luck and hope that they continue to enjoy learning and developing professionally throughout their careers.
Many thanks to Susan Haghegh (Academic Director) and Eman El Madfai (Director of Studies) at IH Tripoli-Elite, without whose advice and support this project would not have been possible.
Selected quotations from participant feedback:

"Reading has now become my favourite lesson" - Afaf

"I've already used the vocabulary activity and my students said 'the lesson was easy' and they loved the way I taught it so much" - Raja

"You don't need to have very complicated or expensive materials to give an excellent lesson" - Omaima

"I'll try to do all of them, but I started with the reading last week and it was really good. My students liked it so much" - Rema

"Put pieces of writing on the wall as a game...I love it!" - Suad

"I learned that most of the work should be done by the students, every student should be involved in the work and to give students time to prepare" -

Author's Bio: Rose Aylett and Emma Halliday are English Language Teachers from the UK with wide experience of working in the Middle East and North Africa. They are currently working at International House Tripoli where over the last six months they have designed and delivered a series of teacher training workshops to Libyan state school teachers. Topics covered include: the core skills of reading, writing, speaking and teaching vocabulary.

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IH Tripoli English for Libya teacher training project

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It was an idea that grew from a chat over coffee and cake in the Café Roma, which in Tripoli, is where all the best ideas take shape. Emma had recently returned to Libya after being evacuated during the 2011 Revolution, whilst I was an enthusiastic new arrival to the country.

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The United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF) today announced the development of "a high-level road map" for effective teacher management in Libya as part of the agency's continuing efforts to improve access to quality education for all children in the North African country.

The new two-year initiative, to be funded by the European Union and elaborated under the leadership of Libya's Ministry of Education, will ultimately be implemented by UNICEF 's Teachers Development Centre with a special focus on providing better education for Libya's most vulnerable children, including those affected by the country's recent conflict.

"We believe that the high number of teachers available in Libya can be a driving force to increase the quality of education, but this will happen only if they are highly motivated, appropriately trained and supported," said Carel de Rooy, UNICEF Country Director in Libya, in a press statement.

The project, which will run an estimated 3.1 million Euros, will study various aspects of the Libyan education system ranging from teachers' qualifications and in-service teacher training to recruitment, management and deployment.

In addition, it will provide "a high-level road map for more effective teachers' management and help coordinate a response to teacher development," according to the UNICEF news release.

"This is the ultimate goal of the Teachers Development Centre programme," Mr. de Rooy continued.

"Rethinking the teaching system in order to enhance teachers' competencies, status and motivation leading ultimately to better learning in Libya's classrooms," he added.

News Tracker: Past Stories on This Issue

The United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF) was today due to deliver an additional 90,000 bottles of water to the Libya capital, Tripoli, where the recent upheaval has cut the regular supply of potable water and put residents at risk of disease outbreaks.

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Libya: UNICEF initiative to provide better quality education through teacher training

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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today announced the development of "a high-level road map" for effective teacher management in Libya as part of the agency's continuing efforts to improve access to quality education for all children in the North African country.

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We offer a range of Teacher Training options using our 'Teaching for Success' approach that provide pre-service and continuous professional development opportunities for both universities and schools.

TKT (TEACHING KNOWLEDGE TEST)

The Cambridge TKT is an internationally recognised teaching qualification for teachers of primary, secondary and adult English learners. Our preparation courses help teachers to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the test. Whether you're an experienced teacher who wants up-to-date skills or a teacher with less experience, you can now take TKT courses and exams in Libya.

ENGLISH FOR TEACHING 1, 2 AND 3

These three courses are for in-service teachers who want to improve their language skills and at the same time develop their teaching skills and knowledge. Each course is designed for teachers with different language abilities. The courses enable teachers to build confidence through practising language in teaching-related contexts.

IELTS TEACHER TRAINING

This programme is for English teachers working at universities and higher education institutions with students aiming to study abroad. The course raises teachers' awareness of the skills and sub-skills involved in IELTS training, introduces pedagogy and activities to support learners and presents and practises strategies to help you to help candidates move through the IELTS exam more quickly and efficiently.

CELTA (THE CERTIFICATE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING TO ADULTS)

CELTA is an internationally recognised qualification with certificates issued and awarded by the Cambridge English Language Assessment. It is a course for candidates with little or no previous teaching experience or with some experience but little training. The course provides a solid, practical foundation for teaching, classroom management skills and a range of effective instructional techniques. Through our international partners, we can arrange programmes for your institution.

TEACHINGENGLISH RADIO

TeachingEnglish Radio is a radio series providing advice and training on teaching English at a basic level. It is designed to help teachers of English working in schools with large classes, a lack of resources and few training opportunities.Each 15 minute programme addresses issues in classroom practice by exploring and sharing tried and tested strategies to improve the teaching and learning of English.All programmes are accompanied by a two-page teacher support sheet. The support materials provide some of the programme script, together with ideas for reflection.

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We offer a range of Teacher Training options using our 'Teaching for Success' approach that provide pre-service and continuous professional development opportunities for both universities and schools. The Cambridge TKT is an internationally recognised teaching qualification for teachers of primary, secondary and adult English learners.

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Preprimary & Primary Education

General Survey: Few Libyan children attend preprimary schools. In 1997, only 5 percent of preprimary school aged children actually attended such schools in Libya, and most of these were foreigners. Libyans usually begin school when they are six years old or older. In 1989, there were 852,593 students in 31,296 classrooms for an average of 27.2 students per class. School years begin in September and last 280 days, with students attending classes 6 days per week. As of 1992, 92 percent of eligible children were enrolled in primary school, and approximately 48 percent were female students. By 1994 this number had increased to over 1.3 million students, of whom 49 percent were female. This means that 97 percent of eligible students were enrolled in primary schools. Students were strongly encouraged to study science and mathematics. There were 36,591 primary school teachers in Libya in 1980, but by 1996 there were more than 100,000 primary teachers, of whom 47 percent were female teachers. In 1980, Libya had 765,000 illiterates, 28.5 percent of whom were male and 69.4 percent of whom were female. By 2000, Libya had 708,000 illiterates, of whom 9.1 percent were male, and 32.4 percent were female. Illiteracy fell from 47.1 to 20.2 percent of the population because significant strides were made in primary education for the entire Libyan population.

Age Limits: Education is free and compulsory between ages 6 and 15. Preprimary students may enter school as early as four years of age and full-grown adults may attend primary school if they missed it earlier in life. There is no upper limit on age.

Curriculum & Examinations: The six-year primary school's aim is to teach students to read, write, and count, as well as the natural sciences, hygiene, arts and crafts, and physical education. During their final year of primary school, students must pass an examination to qualify to enter junior high school. Junior high school, or Intermediate school, adds three more years to primary education, making it last for nine years in Libya.

Urban & Rural Schools: Urban schools are usually housed in buildings built of permanent materials which are durable. Rural schools are often mobile homes, which are made to serve "double duty" as portable homes for teachers following nomadic students and as mobile classrooms.

Teachers: There were 36,591 primary school teachers in Libya in 1980. By 1990, there were more than 85,537 primary teachers, of whom 47 percent were female teachers. Moreover, most teaching positions were no longer dominated by foreign teachers from Egypt, Palestine, and other nations. Libya has trained Libyan teachers to fill most positions, and 47 percent of these teachers are now women. The teacher to student ratio is 18 to 1.

Repeaters & Dropouts: In 1980, some 9.2 percent of Libyan primary school students repeated a grade. Dropouts declined once Libya abandoned its system of national examinations. Promotions are dependent solely upon passing in class examinations. Nonetheless, 4 percent of females and 2 percent of males dropped out of primary school.

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Preprimary & Primary Education General Survey: Few Libyan children attend preprimary schools. In 1997, only 5 percent of preprimary school aged children actually attended such schools in Libya, and most of these were foreigners. Libyans usually begin school when they are six years old or older.