On the occasion of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, DWRC calls for the international community and global unions to mobilize to safeguard Palestinian’s right to education
The International Day to Protect Education from Attack, established by the UN in 2020, highlights the urgent need to safeguard schools, teachers, and students in conflict zones. Education is a basic right, yet conflicts often target educational institutions, depriving children of learning opportunities.
In Gaza, over fifteen years of blockade and repeated wars have severely damaged the education system, creating long-term challenges for both students and teachers. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), 117 schools and universities have been completely destroyed during the ongoing war on Gaza, while 332 more have been partially damaged. While 2,459 government, private, and United Nations-run schools welcomed more than 806,360 students in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, who started their school year today, around 630,000 children in Gaza continue to be deprived from their right to education and safety. They have already been prevented from attending school for the entire schoolyear 2023/2024. The Palestinian Ministry of Education indicated that more than 10,000 students in Gaza have been killed and 15,000 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks since last October. The Ministry also said that at least 400 teachers were killed in Gaza, and 90% of school buildings damaged, adding that 39,000 Gaza students were unable to take their high school exams last June, and 58,000 children have been denied from starting their first-grade education.
In the West Bank, attacks by the Israeli occupying power against schools and higher education institutions, children of school age, students, teachers, professors and employees of the Palestinian education system, have been ongoing for years and have increased since October 7, 2023. Schools in area C that serve Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities are particularly at risk of attacks and demolition, as part of Israeli measures for completing the ethnic cleansing of vast areas of the West Bank. Six schools belonging to Palestinian Bedouin communities were demolished in 2023. The Ministry of Education indicated that 69 schools have been vandalized over the past year. The brutal repression and the severe restrictions on movement for Palestinians between Palestinian localities inside the occupied West Bank, and constant Israeli settler attacks, have made it impossible for many children and students to reach classrooms for days or weeks, and have forced others to face great risks for simply going to school. The Palestinian Ministry of Education reported that 78 pupils were killed, 419 injured and 209 arrested. These attacks have consequences that go beyond physical injury. Students experience psychological trauma that affects their ability to concentrate, and teachers carry on with their profession, while experiencing fear and grief. Long-term disruptions to education result in learning gaps and negatively impact future opportunities.
The Palestinian education system has also been severely affected by Israel’s constant withholding of funds that are owed to the Palestinian Authority, leading to an incapacity to pay governmental employees’ salaries in full, and fulfill commitments to increase teachers’ wages. Low pay and lack of consideration have led Palestinian governmental teachers to go on strike for weeks in recent years. Palestinian non-governmental universities have also been facing recurrent financial crises due to lack of governmental support and the inability of many students and their families to pay fees, which has worsened due to the unprecedented economic crisis caused by Israeli collective punishment measures after October 7. Palestinian universities have also been affected by Israeli attempts to isolate them from the global academic community, notably through access restriction for foreign academics and students.
Thus, on the occasion of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, DWRC urges the international community and global unions to take action to ensure education is protected in all conflict zones, while giving special attention to the safeguarding of Palestinian’s right to education, especially in the Gaza Strip. This requires stopping the destruction of schools and providing the necessary support for rebuilding the educational infrastructure, and the lives of students and teachers. Education is highly valued by Palestinian society. For decades, it has been a main tool and strategy for social advancement and empowerment, for boys and girls, enabling Palestinians to show great resilience in facing the
hardships of living under a protracted illegal occupation and being denied their right to self-determination and return, as UN resolutions to this effect remain unimplemented. Education in the occupied Palestinian territories is under attack because of its importance for Palestinian society and identity, and thus safeguarding it must be a priority of the international community.
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