Al-Mawasi, Gaza: In the midst of conflict, makeshift classrooms dot the landscape of Gaza. From tent schools near Khan Younis to online connections bridging gaps from Cairo to the West Bank, Palestinians are striving to salvage their shattered education system amidst the devastation of war.
“We are receiving students, and we have a very large number of them still waiting,” said Asmaa al-Astal, a volunteer teacher at a tent school near the coast in al-Mawasi, reflecting the determination to ensure children don’t lose a whole year of schooling amid Israeli bombardment.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has inflicted severe damage to Gaza’s education infrastructure, a vital source of hope and pride in the enclave. Despite internationally high literacy levels, Gaza’s education system has long been fragile and under-resourced due to Israel’s blockade and repeated conflicts.
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Since the war began on Oct. 7, schools have been bombed or repurposed as shelters, leaving an estimated 625,000 school-aged children unable to attend classes. Additionally, all 12 of Gaza’s higher education institutions have been destroyed or damaged, leaving nearly 90,000 students stranded, with over 350 teachers and academics killed, according to Palestinian official data.
As reported by the international news agency Reuters, “We lost friends, we lost doctors, we lost teaching assistants, we lost professors, we lost so many things in this war,” said Israa Azoum, a fourth-year medical student at Al Azhar University in Gaza City.
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Despite the challenges, there’s a resilient spirit among Gazans like Fahid Al-Hadad, head of Al Aqsa’s emergency department and a lecturer at the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG). Despite losing valuable resources accumulated over a decade in the war, he remains committed to resuming teaching, even exploring online options despite weak internet connections.
For Gazans seeking refuge in Egypt, remote learning offers a lifeline. Kamal al-Batrawi, a businessman, describes online schooling for his daughters in Cairo as “a lifesaving act”.
In southern Gaza, where over a million people were displaced, UNICEF has been organizing recreational activities alongside basic learning initiatives. However, as Jonathan Crickx, head of communications for UNICEF Palestine, acknowledges, much more is needed to address the vast educational challenges.
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Wesam Amer, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Languages at Gaza University, highlights the inadequacies of online learning, especially for practical subjects like medicine and engineering. Advising students from Germany on educational opportunities abroad, he stresses the irreplaceable loss of academics killed in the conflict.
The war has claimed many lives, including that of Sufyan Tayeh, president of IUG, who perished with his family in December. Despite the chaos, his dedication to science endured, symbolizing the resilience of Gaza’s academic community.
As Gaza rebuilds, the road ahead is daunting, with the majority of schools needing reconstruction or rehabilitation. But beyond physical reconstruction, mental health support will be crucial for children traumatized by the conflict, ensuring they feel safe to return to a semblance of normalcy.
