[hr-education] Students face challenges as new school year begins in Gaza and the West Bank

NEW YORK, 1 September 2006 -- Ongoing violence in the West Bank and Gaza
is threatening to disrupt the new school term as more than 1.6 million
children prepare to return to classes. The situation is compounded by
poverty; teachers haven’t been paid for six months and are
threatening to strike while many families can't afford the cost of fees or
uniforms.

UNICEF, the Ministry of Education and other partners are launching a Back
to School campaign with aid for those most vulnerable.

UNICEF's Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Dan
Rohrmann, says school is a vital lifeline to these children who are living
in daily fear and danger -- 39 were killed in July alone.

"They live in an environment of extraordinary fear, violence and
insecurity, and on top of that they’ve had a very, very difficult
summer with a lot of incursions, a lot of shelling," he says.

"Children really feared to play outside. They didn’t go to the
beach. They didn't go to the parks. They were playing inside. So going
back to school means bringing back normalcy and bringing back the daily
life that children like."

To confront the challenges ahead, UNICEF and its partners have organised a
number of focus groups with students, parents and teachers. The sessions
are aimed at galvanizing community support for education.

Some children have organised their own advocacy groups to tackle the
impact of violence in schools. Almost half of all students have been
exposed to violence in the last year and many say it's the reason they
drop out.

"When talking about the main challenges for school, it is security we are
really lacking. Financial support can be somehow secured, but the stress
among children cannot be easily solved," says Sahar Jared, a teacher in
Gaza.

"In addition to financial constraints, teachers face security threats and
constraints such as road blocks and barriers which affects both teachers
and students," says another teacher, Jamal Abdel Halim in the West Bank.
"Financial and psychological challenges should be solved."

Children themselves say education is vital for their future but violence
and poverty are undermining that basic right. "I will face a problem when
studying because of the electricity and water cuts, but I have to study to
continue my education," says 12-year old Omar Al Sayyed.

As part of the Back to School campaign, UNICEF is helping to make schools
more child-friendly by providing teaching and learning materials, as well
as helping struggling parents pay for uniforms and school supplies.

By Jane O'Brien 
UNICEF




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