More than 19,000 Palestinian students in the occupied territories will benefit from a 75 percent reduction in school fees this semester thanks to a $15 million grant provided by the Saudi Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People in conjunction with a UNESCO program, the United Nations said Friday. "The fee-waiver scheme will be finalized on February 20 when the heads of the concerned 34 Palestinian institutions of higher education will sign letters of agreement with UNESCO's Office in Ramallah and with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of the Palestinian Authority," the United Nations said in a statement. The fee-waiver will benefit both male and female students, with females making up more than 55 percent of the beneficiaries in the West Bank and Gaza, the statement said. The Saudi Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People gave a total of $15.1 million for the UNESCO project, with $6 million earmarked for school fees this semester and $7 million next semester. The remaining $2 million will go to support Palestinian universities.
