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With the lack of books, students take turns in using old copies. (IOL photo) |
GAZA CITY — The long-running, watertight Israeli closure of the impoverished Gaza Strip is not only affecting the livelihood of its 1.6 million people, but also the future of their children who are forced to do without books, labs and even power to study at home.
Two months after the start of the second term, more than half of the students still go to school without their curriculum books.
Iman Shameyya, a ninth grader, is using old copies of the books but must share them with schoolmate Soha al-Shaqra.
"I only get half the chance to read from my books. Both of us use the same book at school and each one takes it home day after day," she told IslamOnline.net.
"My results will surely be bad this year."
Dr Mohammed Al-Agha, the education minister in the Hamas-led Gaza government, complained of the lack of printing paper to print the books.
"We only afforded to print 14 of the total 66 books needed," he told IOL.
He blamed the problem on the siege clamped on the Gaza Strip.
Israel has been closing the Gaza Strip's exits to the outside world since Hamas took control of the territory last June after routing rival Fatah.
It has completely locked down the coastal area since January, causing its sole power plant to shut down for lack of fuel.
"We won’t be able to afford the needed amount of paper for books unless the siege on Gaza is really left," said minister Al-Agha.
He appealed for keeping the educational process from political disputes "whether with Fatah or the Israelis."
Multiple Problems
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"UNRWA was forced to use caravans instead of classrooms in several school," Hemdeyyat told IOL.
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Khadeeja Sarsour, the mother of 4 students, complains that her kids have to used old books.
"Many pages are lost in several books which I see once every two days with my children."
She has to copy all exercises on separate papers when she wants to revise new lessons for her children.
Teacher Sameera al-Baghdadi insist this is affecting the achievement levels of her students.
"They can’t revise or prepare for the new topics."
Minister Al-Agha laments that the educational process in Gaza suffers more than that.
"The loss of electricity darkens classrooms, stops the use of visual aids whose portion has increased in recent syllabus and impairs the administration process," he explained.
"The loss of fuel stops vehicles so teachers and students can’t go to their schools, especially in winter."
Hamdi Abu-Laila, a field education supervisor in Gaza government schools, confirms schools are unable to use visual aids or laboratories.
"This is considered a huge obstacle in the education process as the new school curriculum depends mainly on the heavy use of visual aids computers as well as getting materials through the internet."
The shortage of construction materials because of the Israeli closure is also affecting the rebuilding of schools affected by Israeli strikes and shelling, let alone the building of new schools to overcome the problem of overcrowded classrooms.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says the Gaza Strip needs at least 15 new schools every year.
"UNRWA was forced to use caravans instead of classrooms in several school," said Mahmoud al-Hemdeyyat, the head of UNRWA education directorate in the Strip.
For Al-Shaqra, the ninth grader, the most serious of all these challenges is the power shortage.
"I have to use the time of the day after school to study my lessons before being trapped by the darkness of the night."
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