DaysofPal- As schools worldwide prepare for a new academic year, Gaza’s educational landscape is marked by devastating silence, broken only by the sounds of shelling rather than school bells.
The schools of Gaza have transformed into rubble-strewn spaces, with the cheerful noise of children replaced by the cries of mothers amid destruction.
For the third consecutive year, over 650,000 students in Gaza find themselves deprived of education.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education reports that 90% of schools in the Strip are either destroyed or repurposed as shelters for displaced families, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Sadeq al-Khudour, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, highlighted the severity of the situation: “More than 630,000 students have been denied their right to education since October 7, 2023, in addition to over 58,000 children who would have started first grade this year.”
The impact is profound, with over 25,000 children killed or injured, including more than 10,000 school students.
Education in Gaza is more than just missing school days; it involves the loss of childhood and dreams.
Eighteen-year-old Nidaa Abu al-Ata longs for a “normal” school year, expressing that “Two years of my life have been lost. I just want to study without shelling, without fear.”
Tragically, not all students are waiting for the next academic year. Mohammed Taysir, a would-be tenth-grader, was killed in an Israeli bombing, ending his aspirations of becoming a teacher.
Fifth-grader Mais Ramadan also lost her life before hearing the school bell again.
These stories are echoed by countless families whose children’s dreams have been shattered.
Moreover, psychologist Dr. Abdullah al-Khatib underscores the broader impact, noting, “Education is not just lessons; it is a space for building character. Without school, children are vulnerable to getting lost, dropping out, begging, child labor, and even crime.”
He warns that a generation without education is a generation without a future.
Dr. al-Khatib stresses the urgent need to support educational initiatives and establish tent classrooms, asserting, “For Gaza’s children, education is everything. Genocide kills people, but there is also a continuous, silent genocide, the genocide of awareness and minds. We must act to save education from this destruction.”
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