War Disrupts the Dreams of Gaza’s Youth

Eight months into the ongoing conflict, Gaza's education system has been devastated, leaving countless students with shattered dreams and altered daily routines. The war has transformed schools into shelters, causing significant damage and necessitating extensive rebuilding efforts to make these institutions functional again.

Karim al-Masri, an 18-year-old student, was supposed to start his final exams on Saturday morning, just weeks shy of graduating. Instead, he spent his morning filling bags of water to freeze into ice, which he then sold to support his family. "I should have been studying and preparing for my final exams," al-Masri lamented. "But, more than eight months into the war, I'm spending my days working to provide for my family to cope with the situation." Al-Masri is one of nearly 39,000 students in Gaza who were unable to take their high school final examinations scheduled to begin on Saturday across the Palestinian territories and in Jordan. According to the Palestinian Education Ministry, these students would not be able to graduate.

The war has wreaked havoc on Gaza’s already struggling education system, which had faced several wars and escalations since 2008. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported that at least 625,000 children are missing out on education in Gaza, with schools shut since the war began in October, just over a month into the school year. More than 76 percent of schools in Gaza would require rebuilding or major rehabilitation to become functional after Israel’s prolonged offensive. The majority of these schools have been repurposed as shelters to house the many displaced families in Gaza, who are living in miserable conditions.

Al-Masri had dreamed of studying information technology at the Islamic University of Gaza or the University College of Applied Sciences. Both institutions have been destroyed by Israeli bombardment. All of Gaza’s 12 universities have been severely damaged or destroyed by the fighting, according to the United Nations. Instead of pinning his hopes on returning to school and graduating, the war has shifted al-Masri's priorities. He is now focused on working to support his family. He often walks past his school in Deir al Balah in central Gaza, where "the classrooms have turned into shelters," and when he peeks inside, he is "filled with agony."

Islam al-Najjar, another 18-year-old student, was also supposed to take her first final exam on Saturday. Her school in Deir al Balah, to which many Gazans have fled from Israel’s Rafah offensive, has also been turned into a shelter. "I can’t imagine going back to see my school, a place where we learn, turned into a shelter full of displaced people living in miserable conditions," al-Najjar expressed. She added, "When we do go back, we won’t be seeing all of the same faces," referring to her classmates, two teachers, and her principal who had been killed during the war.

Despite the ongoing conflict, al-Najjar remains hopeful about the possibility of returning to school and graduating. She dreams of studying abroad and has set her sights on Harvard University or the University of Oxford to study business. "I was very excited for my final year of school and to begin a new chapter," said al-Najjar, the eldest in her family, who had been planning her graduation celebrations before the war started. "But of course, the war put a stop to everything." Reflecting on her dashed dreams, she pondered, "Why does the spring of our life coincide with the fall of our country? Is it our fault that we dared to dream?"

The ongoing conflict has left a profound impact on Gaza’s students, forcing them to abandon their aspirations and adapt to a new reality marked by survival and loss. The educational infrastructure has been decimated, and the emotional scars run deep. Yet, amid the devastation, the resilience and hope of students like al-Masri and al-Najjar offer a glimmer of optimism for a future where their dreams might one day be realized.

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Credit: New York Times 2024-06-24

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