by Ambar Khawaja

Scholasticide and Resulting Risks

Under international humanitarian law, schools and educational institutions ought to be protected. Civilian objects and attacks on them are  one of six grave violations condemned by the UN’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Over the past year, an estimated 95% of schools in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed. The effects of scholasticide have both immediate and long-term impacts for youth of the next generation, extending to their families and broader society. Having already lost nearly 3 years of schooling over the past 5 years – resulting from both COVID-19 and prolonged war – youth in Gaza are facing a minimum of a 30% reduction in future earnings, compounded due to the effects of trauma, war, and minimal physical spaces for educational learning to fill the gaps in their schooling. This is despite the lack of jobs in the country due to the destroyed infrastructure. 

The World Bank discusses the socioeconomic implications of accumulated learning losses and delays in investment to education, which include: increases in child marriages and child labor, losses in human capital, and lasting mental and physical health problems that lead to increased violence and crime. These risk factors show the fundamental relationship between education and the social, economic, and cultural preservation of society. Such concerns are especially relevant for Palestinian youth, and thus a crucial policy focus is sustained investment and innovation for rebuilding educational systems in the region.

Gaza Education Cluster Response Plan

Despite existing challenges, there have been efforts made by the international community to restore educational opportunities in Palestine. In January 2024, UNICEF and Save the Children Foundation created the Gaza Education Cluster Response Plan, comprised of three phases: current activity, early recovery, and reconstruction. Now, with the first stage of the ceasefire agreement underway, preparations for the rebuilding efforts of Gaza can begin. 

Phase 1: Current Activity

The first phase of the plan focuses on children and youth wellbeing. Over the past year, informal and recreational education spaces have been established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in collaboration with other local organisations. These limited spaces offer multigrade educational activities and psychosocial support to children and youth but remain temporary and unstable due to regular military attacks and evacuation orders.

Phase 2: Early Recovery

The second phase of the plan focuses on restoration of formal learning and is designed for the 6 months following a definitive ceasefire. Educational partners will work to ensure that all affected children and youth have resumed their learning. Learning will take place in available spaces, and requires an adapted curricula, academic calendar, and assessment schemes for the situation.

Phase 3: Reconstruction

The last phase focuses on the rebuilding of schools and educational institutions in the Gaza strip. This will also require the building of new shelters to transition displaced individuals taking shelter in schools, so that the buildings can be restored to their original educational purposes.

Policy for Resilient Education in Gaza

While the Gaza Education Cluster Response Plan offers a strong foundational framework for education restoration policy, targeted international efforts must be integrated to ensure its success. Currently, child protection funding represents only 0.8% of total humanitarian appeals from the top 10 donor counties globally but should be increased during this critical time. The first stage of the ceasefire deal struck between Hamas and Israel is reported to last 6 weeks, after which discussion for phases two and three of the deal will begin. The third phase of the ceasefire deal will pertain to developing a three-to-five-year reconstruction plan for Gaza, part of which must include the restructuring of the region’s education system and infrastructure. 

For policymakers, immediate needs include education-specific funding mechanisms to support the development and promotion of low-cost, temporary solutions such as digital learning strategies to temporarily fill learning gaps in literacy and numeracy. Secondary needs include the rebuilding of educational infrastructure and teacher training, as outlined in phases two and three of the Gaza Education Cluster Response Plan. Policymakers must ensure that the systemic inequalities that hinder Gaza’s educational recovery are not perpetuated. True reconstruction must challenge preconceived notions of educational structures and curricula and should instead focus on fostering an education system that prioritises local autonomy and cultural preservation over international dependency.

As the ceasefire deal continues along its planned trajectory in the coming months, we should remind the world that education policies in Gaza are not only humanitarian imperatives – rather, they serve as investments in global stability and human capital to ensure a thriving society in the future.

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