Gaza: After two years of war that kept them out of classrooms, Gaza's children are finally returning to the classroom, surrounded by devastation but determined to learn. "What we need now are notebooks, books, and pens. We want to get our lives back," said one young Palestinian girl, Sham Al-Abd. She now attends the Deir al-Balah Joint Elementary School run by the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA).
According to United Nations, following the ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA is working to restore a sense of normalcy in schools that had previously been used as shelters. Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, announced that the agency is expanding its Return to Learning programme in Gaza, offering both in-person and online education.
At the Deir al-Balah Joint Elementary School, signs of transformation from shelter to school are still evident. Families can be seen cooking meals in the corridors, and tents still occupy the schoolyard. When young student Shahd al-Bahisi returned, she found the area destroyed and many displaced people still there. Despite this, Shahd is determined to resume her studies.
Some classrooms remain without enough chairs, their floors covered with tarpaulins and blankets. Yet, the excitement and determination among students are apparent.
To date, more than 62,000 students have benefited from temporary learning services through these basic educational activities since their launch on 1 August 2024, according to Inas Hamdam, UNRWA's spokesperson. Deir al-Balah School is one of those converted into a shelter, but UNRWA continues to open additional temporary learning spaces, said Ms. Hamdam.
Deir al-Balah Co-educational Primary School, run by UNRWA, is also providing distance learning services to approximately 300,000 students in Gaza. Around 8,000 teachers are contributing to these services for the children of Gaza who have suffered the ravages of war. Ms. Hamdam emphasised that children, wherever they may be, deserve a chance at life, dignity, and education.
Despite the war's devastation, voices and laughter ring out once again in the hallways of Deir al-Balah's school.
