“What we need now are notebooks, books and pens. We want our lives back”said a young Palestinian girl, Sham Al-Abd.
She now attends the Deir al-Balah Common Primary School, run by the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency.UNRWA).
Despite the old furniture and a few drawings that brighten up the walls of a classroom in a school visited by our UN News correspondent, the children’s enthusiasm at the idea of returning there after months spent seeking shelter from the bombs remains intact.
One of Sham’s classmates, Asil Al-Loh, spoke enthusiastically about how she felt: “We want to learn, play and study all subjects like before. Now we only study Arabic, English and mathematics.”
Palestinian student Sham al-Abd at the UNRWA-run Deir al-Balah mixed primary school.
Attempt to return to normal
Following the ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA is working to restore a sense of normalcy to schools that previously served as shelters.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini announced that the agency is expanding its “Return to Learning” program in Gaza, offering in-person and online education.
At Deir al-Balah Common Primary School, signs of the shelter becoming a school are still evident. Our correspondent saw families preparing their meals in the corridors, while tents still occupy the school grounds.
When young student Shahd al-Bahisi returned to Deir al-Balah, she said she found the area “destroyed” and that “many displaced people were still there.”
Students sit on the floor as they attend classes at the UNRWA-run Deir al-Balah mixed primary school.
Despite this, Shahd seems determined to return to her studies.
Some classrooms lack enough chairs and their floors are covered with tarps and blankets. Yet the enthusiasm and determination shine through.
A chance at “life, dignity and education”
“To date, more than 62,000 students have benefited from temporary learning services through these core educational activities since their launch on August 1, 2024,” according to Inas Hamdam, UNRWA spokesperson.
The Deir al-Balah school is among those turned into a shelter, but UNRWA continues to open additional temporary learning spaces, Ms. Hamdam said.
Deir al-Balah mixed primary school, managed by UNRWA.
She explained that this was being done alongside the provision of distance learning services to around 300,000 students in Gaza, adding that: “8,000 teachers are helping to provide these services to children in Gaza who have suffered the ravages of war.”
She stressed that children, wherever they are, “deserve a chance to live, to live with dignity and to be educated.”
Despite the ravages of war, voices and laughter once again resonate in the corridors of the Deir-al-Balah school.
