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- October 19, 202617°
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Students in Gaza return to classes in tents after nearly three years
Students in Gaza have returned to in-person education after nearly three years, amid schools destroyed in the war and heavily damaged roads. The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education has prepared around 700 education points and 25 temporary schools, but shortages of classrooms and basic educational materials continue.
The new school year in Gaza began with students returning to classes after nearly three years in a city still bearing the heavy scars of war. Students reaching education points through areas dotted with destroyed school buildings and damaged roads are continuing their lessons despite shortages of school uniforms, books and stationery.
Schools established in tents by the Gaza Municipality have no desks or chairs. Children attend lessons while sitting on mattresses spread across the classroom floors.
Injured student returns to education
Ahmed Zahir, a ninth-grade student, came to school using two crutches despite an injury he sustained during the war. Carrying his books with him, Ahmed said he was happy to return to classes after a long break.
Ahmed said they had been deprived of books and stationery for approximately two and a half years and expressed his wish to continue his education. He also said he had recognized the importance of physical therapy during the war and had begun to take an interest in the field.
Comparing current conditions with those before the war, Ahmed said they had studied in reinforced-concrete schools, sitting at desks and on chairs. Now, he said, they study in tents under the hot weather and sit on mattresses spread across the ground.
A student’s loss in Deir al-Balah
Sirin Ekrem Mehdi, who began tenth grade in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, was also away from education for nearly three years because of the war. Sirin, who was forcibly displaced from Gaza City to Deir al-Balah with her family, said she lost her father and sibling during the war.
Sirin said she had attended classes before the war with a school uniform and stationery, but today she cannot meet most of these needs. Saying that they sit on the ground in tents and that the tarpaulins become excessively hot, Sirin said they wanted to study and learn despite all these difficulties.
Gaza establishes 700 education points
The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education has prepared around 700 in-person education points and 25 temporary schools in the Gaza Strip for the new school year. Students who can reach education centers will attend in-person classes, while those outside Gaza or unable to go to school will continue their education online.
Jawad al-Sheikh Khalil, director of the Education Directorate in western Gaza, said the school year had begun despite the difficult conditions. Khalil said work was underway to prevent students from losing touch with education and to reestablish the education process.
Khalil said student overcrowding was a serious problem, noting that some tents designed for 40 students were accommodating 60 to 70. He said the school opened by the Gaza Municipality had a capacity of around 2,000 students, but more than 3,000 had registered.
Khalil said more land was needed to establish additional education areas and called on relevant institutions and organizations to provide space.
Tents replace destroyed schools
Since the war, education in Gaza has continued in tents, containers and temporary education points. Khalil, a director at the Education Directorate, said more than 90 percent of schools had been destroyed and that a significant portion of those still standing had been converted into shelters for displaced people.
Work is underway to clear some school buildings so that their sections can be used as classrooms again. Khalil said rebuilding the education infrastructure would take time.
Randa Hamid, principal of the Gaza Municipality School, said students sat on the ground in tents for approximately three hours of lessons. Hamid said a shift-based education system had been introduced because of overcrowding and a shortage of schools, adding that students had 12 lessons a week and that some classes had more than 80 students.
Hamid said education points that had been launched on a limited scale during the war were expanded with support from partner organizations. However, she said more well-equipped schools were needed for students to receive education in suitable conditions.
Education losses in ministry report
A report on the 2023-2026 period published by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education on July 15 found that Gaza’s education system had suffered heavy losses throughout the war.
The report said more than 20,000 school students and over 532 teachers had been killed in attacks by the Israeli army. It added that 59 public schools, 30 private schools and 11 special education buildings serving students with disabilities had been completely destroyed in the attacks.
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