“What we need now are notebooks, books and pens. We want to get our lives back”said a young Palestinian girl, Sham Al-Abd.
She now attends Deir al-Balah Joint Elementary School, run by the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA).
Despite the old furniture and few drawings decorating the walls of the classrooms at a school our UN News correspondent visits, the children’s excitement to return there after months of seeking shelter from the bombs remains as high as ever.
One of Sham’s classmates, Asil Al-Loh, enthusiastically shared her feelings: “We want to learn and play, and study all subjects as we did before. Now we only study Arabic, English and math.”
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Palestinian student Sham al-Abd at Deir al-Balah Co-educational Primary School, run by UNRWA.
Try to restore normality
Following the ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA is working to restore a sense of normalcy in schools previously used as shelters.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini announced that the agency is expanding its “Return to Learning” program in Gaza, offering both in-person and online education.
At the Deir al-Balah joint primary school, signs of transformation from shelter to school are still visible. Our correspondent saw families cooking meals in the hallways, while tents still occupied the school yard.
When young student Shahd al-Bahisi returned to Deir al-Balah, she said she found the area “devastated” and that “there were still many displaced people.”
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Students sit on the floor as they attend classes at the Deir al-Balah Co-educational Primary School, run by UNRWA.
Despite this, Shahd seems determined to resume her studies.
Some classrooms still don’t have enough chairs; the floors are covered with tarpaulins and blankets. Yet the enthusiasm and determination radiates from it.
A chance for ‘life, dignity and education’
“To date, more than 62,000 students have benefited from transitional learning services through these basic education activities since their launch on August 1, 2024,” said Inas Hamdam, spokesperson for UNRWA.
Deir al-Balah School is among the schools that have been converted into shelters, but UNRWA continues to open additional temporary learning spaces, Ms. Hamdam said.
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Deir al-Balah Co-educational primary school, run by UNRWA.
She explained that this is happening in parallel with the provision of distance learning services to approximately 300,000 students in Gaza, adding: “8,000 teachers contribute to providing these services to the children of Gaza who have suffered the ravages of war.”
She emphasized that children, wherever they are, “deserve a chance at life, dignity and education.”
Despite the ravages of war, voices and laughter once again fill the halls of Deir-al-Balah’s school.
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