The challenges faced by university students in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli aggression are as significant as those faced by other affected groups. The war has persisted for over nine months, leaving the future of education in a state of uncertainty—a matter of great concern for Palestinians, who have long valued education as a vital part of their lives and aspirations.
From the very first day, the targeting of universities represented a genuine destruction of an entire generation’s future. The young people of Gaza have not only endured the fear of death and loss but also the anxiety of an uncertain future. Questions abound regarding the fate of university education and how the academic process can be revived with the minimal resources available.
There are 17 higher education institutions in Gaza, along with a university that also has branches in the West Bank. Approximately 87,000 students are enrolled, and during the 2020/2021 academic year, around 14,000 students graduated. However, 12 of these institutions have been partially or completely damaged, resulting in a complete halt to university education, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Resuming Education
Last month, Al-Aqsa University and the Islamic University announced the resumption of education electronically. The plan is to conduct intensive seven-week courses for theoretical subjects, while practical courses will be postponed. These will be delivered via a university-specific platform where students can attend lectures, submit assignments, and take exams, which will count toward their GPA. Students who cannot complete a course due to extenuating circumstances will not have it withdrawn from their record.
“There are no schools, no universities, no health or administrative institutions—nothing. Our country is in its most difficult state. Anyone who chooses to return to Gaza after the war is choosing to waste years of their life on nothing,” says Hadi, a student at Al-Aqsa University who left Gaza with his family. In his opinion, Gaza “is no longer a place for dreams or ambitions, especially with the soaring prices and a life surrounded by death from every direction.” He explains to Daraj that “this was supposed to be my fourth year at university,” but due to the war, “it will now be my third academic year.”
Hadi adds: “The decision to return to online education has its pros and cons. The advantage is that students who have the means to follow along can complete courses and somewhat utilize their time. However, the disadvantages are greater. Even now, the system has many issues, and the situation in Gaza changes every moment, so the educational process could stop suddenly.”
Hadi studies interior design, a field that is more practical than theoretical and requires continuous follow-ups and field visits from the course instructor—something difficult to achieve through online education.
After leaving Gaza for Egypt, Hadi tried to enroll in an Egyptian university but faced issues with course equivalency. Due to differences in the curriculum and educational plan, he would lose many of the credits he had already completed, especially since they were all major-specific courses. “I found that I would have to start over, start from scratch. It was mentally exhausting and very confusing.”
Wardah Al-Araj agrees with Hadi on all points, but her situation is even more difficult. She left Gaza months ago to accompany her sick mother for treatment in Egypt. Due to the border closure, she cannot return at this time, and she bears the burden of caring for her ill mother alone, with the rest of her family still in Gaza.
Al-Araj tells Daraj: “The decision to return to online education is very bad and not in the students’ interest. We entered university and chose the major we wanted so that we could excel in it and create a project that would benefit us. Returning to education under these conditions will be a doubled psychological burden. The students’ minds and spirits are scattered between worrying about their families, whose fate they do not know, and the constant threat of death or repeated displacement.”
Al-Araj struggles with the difficult conditions she and her mother are living under in a hospital overcrowded with patients and their children, with constant noise both day and night, and no environment conducive to study and concentration: “I try to study, but honestly, I can’t.”
Al-Araj is currently continuing her studies with An-Najah University in Ramallah, which has allowed Gazan students to complete shared courses that will count towards 12 credit hours at their home universities. Despite this opportunity, she finds it challenging to fully understand the material due to the lack of direct communication with course instructors.
She concludes: “I cannot complete a significant portion of my major’s study online. The courses are practical and require devices with specific specifications to handle the heavy engineering programs needed for application. Additionally, there’s the issue of being unable to maintain a continuous internet connection—everything is expensive, and the assistance is very limited.”
Is the Decision Wise?
The Palestinian university presidents recently held a meeting at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to discuss the continuation of higher education in Gaza. The plan includes enabling Gaza students to continue their studies in institutions in the West Bank and some allied countries as visiting students, as well as securing practical training for courses that require it and providing scholarships for Gazan students.
Dr. Amjad Barham, the Minister of Higher Education, emphasized that “the ministry is doing everything possible to secure support for higher education institutions in Gaza and is in constant consultations, research, and follow-ups to ensure the resumption of the educational process under the occupation’s constant aggressions. It is also providing universities and colleges in the Strip with the support needed to continue the educational process, follow through with the commitments it has towards its employees, and provide Gaza’s students with the right to apply to West Bank universities and colleges.”
Dr. Majid Turban, a professor of journalism and communication technology at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza, told Daraj: “The return of universities to online education, despite the war and the targeting of faculty and students, is a way to confront all challenges and a message of resilience from the Palestinian people in Gaza. Even though 90 percent of the universities were completely destroyed, the decision was made to continue online education for theoretical courses, with practical courses postponed until after the war. This step was taken to allow students who are close to graduating to finish their last semester and not delay their future.”
Turban explains that “the ability to assess the effectiveness of this step cannot be determined now, as it is still an experiment given the current situation. Both teachers and students are trying to meet the most basic life needs.” However, in his opinion, many students are “eager to complete their education despite the war. Yes, the situation is difficult now, homes are destroyed, and students don’t have the necessary devices. But I believe the university’s decisions are part of the challenges we face, much like the Phoenician narrative where the Palestinian, like the phoenix, rises from the ashes and triumphs.”
“The teaching method remains the same through the university model or digital platform specific to each university. Classes will be conducted online, and students will be given assignments based on their circumstances, meaning there will be accommodations considering the reality students are living in. However, there are two types of difficulties. The first difficulty relates to the availability of the internet for colleagues residing in Gaza, where it’s not always available and is weak at times. In addition, electricity has been absent for eight months, forcing people to rely on alternative energy sources to provide electricity, charge phones, and power computers,” Turban says.
Dr. Rami Murjan, a professor of organic chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the Islamic University in Gaza and the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Science, confirms to Daraj that “the university’s decision to resume education after such a long time of ongoing war and devastation carries several messages, the most important of which is: a message of remaining steadfast on this land, which is reflected in working despite the lack of resources, to raise a conscious and educated generation capable of contributing to the process of reconstruction and advancement. This is why the university started online education to salvage what can be saved from the educational process that was affected by the genocide war, hoping that we can save our students’ futures.”
He explains that the difficulty of the situation is beyond description: “In the end, we are ordinary human beings, not superhuman as some try to portray us!!! We are actually subjected to the dirtiest war in modern history, yet we try to experiment with education. Honestly, we cannot determine the feasibility unless we go through the experience. We have indeed started with the university’s requirements as an initial phase so that the process can be evaluated and lessons drawn from the experience to improve it, or if necessary, halt the education process. All of this will become apparent after the ongoing experiment.”
Murjan concludes: “There is no doubt that the difficulties are great and numerous, the most significant of which is the psychological aspect for both teachers and students. At any moment, death missiles could fall, which is something that cannot be described for its difficulty and its harsh impact on our psyche as humans before being teachers. This danger, of course, applies to all students in the sector. This terrifying psychological atmosphere will undoubtedly affect the teacher’s productivity and the students’ academic performance simultaneously. On the other hand, we all suffer from power outages and rely on charging mobile devices using solar energy. In addition to the slow and unstable internet connection, all of this creates obstacles that negatively impact the entire educational process.”
In conclusion, the challenges faced by university students in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli aggression are immense. The decision to resume education through online platforms presents both opportunities and obstacles for students and faculty alike. Despite the difficult circumstances, the resilience and determination of the Palestinian people in Gaza to continue their education and build a better future shine through. It is a testament to their unwavering spirit and commitment to overcoming adversity in pursuit of knowledge and progress.