“What we want now are notebooks, books, and pens. We wish to get our lives again”, mentioned one younger Palestinian lady, Sham Al-Abd.
She now attends the Deir al-Balah Joint Elementary Faculty run by the UN Palestine refugee company (UNRWA).
Regardless of the previous furnishings and the few drawings that brighten the classroom partitions at a college visited by our UN Information correspondent, the kids’s pleasure to return there after months of searching for shelter from the bombs, stays undiminished.
One in every of Sham’s classmates, Asil Al-Loh, spoke enthusiastically about how she felt: “We wish to be taught and play, and research all topics as we did earlier than. Now we solely research Arabic, English and arithmetic.”
Palestinian pupil Sham al-Abd at Deir al-Balah Co-educational Major Faculty, run by UNRWA.
Try to revive normalcy
Following the ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA is working to revive a way of normalcy in colleges that had beforehand been used as shelters.
Commissioner-Basic of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, introduced that the company is increasing its “Return to Studying” programme in Gaza, providing each in-person and on-line schooling.
On the Deir al-Balah Joint Elementary Faculty, indicators of transformation from shelter to high school, are nonetheless evident. Our correspondent noticed households cooking meals within the corridors, whereas tents nonetheless occupy the schoolyard.
When younger pupil Shahd al-Bahisi returned to Deir al-Balah, she mentioned she discovered the realm “destroyed,” and that “many displaced individuals have been nonetheless there.”
College students sitting on the ground whereas attending courses at Deir al-Balah Co-educational Major Faculty, run by UNRWA.
Regardless of this, Shahd appears decided to renew her research.
Some school rooms stay with out sufficient chairs, their flooring are lined with tarpaulins and blankets. But the thrill and willpower are shining via.
An opportunity at ‘life, dignity and schooling’
“To this point, greater than 62,000 college students have benefited from momentary studying providers via these fundamental academic actions since their launch on 1 August 2024”, in line with Inas Hamdam, UNRWA’s spokesperson.
Deir al-Balah Faculty is a kind of transformed right into a shelter however UNRWA continues to open extra momentary studying areas, mentioned Ms. Hamdam.
Deir al-Balah Co-educational Major Faculty, run by UNRWA.
She defined that that is being carried out in parallel with the supply of distance studying providers to roughly 300,000 college students in Gaza, including that: “8,000 academics are contributing to the supply of those providers to the kids of Gaza who’ve suffered the ravages of warfare”.
She emphasised that kids, wherever they could be, “deserve an opportunity at life, dignity and schooling”.
Regardless of the warfare’s devastation, voices and laughter ring out as soon as once more within the hallways of Deir-al-Balah’s college.
