Tents and wooden benches: Gaza's female students resume the school year amid widespread destruction

Female students in the Gaza Strip are resuming the new school year after nearly three years of war, in temporary schools made of tents and wooden benches, with a severe shortage of services and equipment, and programs to compensate for educational loss and provide psychological support.

Female students in the Gaza Strip are resuming the new school year after nearly three years of the genocidal war that disrupted the educational process and caused widespread damage to schools. The school year opened at Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in the al-Daraj neighborhood east of Gaza City, amid efforts to provide benches, blackboards, and educational tents. The Director of Education in East Gaza, Munir Abu Zuaiter, said that the return to schools represents an important step despite the exceptional circumstances, noting that most schools are temporary tents due to the high prices and scarcity of construction materials. To overcome the shortage of benches, wooden platforms used for goods were repurposed and converted into seats. The return coincides with programs for preparation and psychological support, and an accelerated education program to compensate for the loss of basic skills. Abu Zuaiter pointed out that about 60% of teachers are in the southern part of the Strip, and transportation difficulties prevent many of them from reaching their schools. At Fahmi al-Jarjawi School, its principal, Dr. Ruba Abu Kamil, explained that the school serves more than three thousand male and female students on a shift system, and that the tents do not protect against the summer heat or winter cold. The school is located inside a shelter center, the school building itself is dilapidated, and sewage water is present near its gates.