Gaza, Alray - "Futuwwa" or Youth is a civilian programme aims to create a generation of confident manner with strong physical body type." Mutassim Minawi, the director of Public and International Relation at the Ministry of Education, said.
Ministry of Education and Higher Education in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior - National Security launched Futuwwa programme in the secondary school, at the beginning of 2012- 2013 academic year.
It is an educational non- obligatory programme in which secondary school boys are taught first aid, firefighting, and the values of discipline and responsibility by instructors from the Ministry of Interior and National Security.
Many rumors and allegations aroused among newspapers and agencies, claiming that it is a military training programme and sparks fears over new generation of militants.
Minawi, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, refuted these claims, affirming that Futuwwa programme is merely a physical training programme.
"How can Kalashnikovs combat tanks and F16 planes?" Minawi wondered, explaining that it's not a military building culture.
" it's an error in judgment" he described what Al Mezan had said that " Hamas has been cutting sports activities in schools for the past six years, saying there is no time in the curriculum, but now they find the time to have military training inside schools".
The aim of the programme is to teach youth how to confront the life threatening dangerous of the Israeli occupation army.
In answering a question about what the Guardian newspapers mentioned that the programme is weekly classes and a part of the curriculum for about 37.000 pupils aged 15- 17, he said "it's not part of the curriculum , and the youth has to bring a signed consent form their parent prior to affiliate to the programme."
He calls on the newspapers and agencies not to shuffle the cards giving Israeli occupation the pretext to target educational institutions.
Yasser Arafat approved such a programme in 1996 but it did not come in active at that time.
Israeli school leavers are required to undertake military service for three years for boys and two for girls. All entrants are given combat and weapons training. Military representatives make frequent visits to schools to prepare teenagers for their army service, the Guardian stated.
