700,000 Gaza Students Begin School Year in Tents
About 700,000 students living in Gaza began the new school year on Saturday, as a large number of schools have been damaged by the war or turned into shelters for displaced people.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education said the continuing destruction of schools and the removal of most of them from the education system have forced educational institutions to use tents and temporary spaces instead of classrooms. According to the ministry, these places do not even have the most basic educational supplies such as chairs, chalk and textbooks.
In some areas, educational institutions are using the remaining buildings for several class sessions a day in order to reach more students despite severe space limitations.
Gaza students are also facing a widespread shortage of textbooks, notebooks and stationery, and many of them sit on the ground in tents converted into classrooms. The situation has made the learning process especially difficult in reading, mathematics and science.
Injured and disabled students, including deaf and mute children, are facing even greater difficulties, as special schools for children with disabilities have also been damaged during the war and no suitable educational space is available for them.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education said it has adopted a model to continue teaching that combines in-person lessons in tents and temporary centres with online education for students who cannot attend classes because of displacement or the security situation.
The ministry also warned that the continued bombardment, displacement and loss of family members have intensified psychological pressure on children. It said providing psychological and social support is now as important as continuing education.
Gaza is a coastal strip in southern Palestine where large parts of civilian infrastructure, including educational centres, have been damaged in recent months as a result of the war.
