RAMALLAH, West Bank — Ghassan al-Rimawi, a 17-year-old student from the city of Ramallah, gave a violin performance at An-Najah National Univeristy’s Faculty of Fine Arts in Nablus on Oct. 7. and was selected by the supervisory committee tasked with selecting students for the first National School Orchestra.

Rimawi, a 12th-grader, will be among about 50 students from public and private schools who will form the orchestra, which is part of an initiative the Ministry of Education announced Sept. 23.

Sadeq al-Khaddour, the spokesman for the Ministry of Education, told Al-Monitor that the ministry is seeking to provide a platform for students with musical talent.

The Ministry of Education will work with An-Najah National University to select and train students who have graduated from high school and are ready to go to college. Khaddour added that the ministry aimed to create orchestras, choirs and folkloric dance (known as dabke) groups that can participate in international and local festivals and display the musical talent of Palestinian students to the world.