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GAZA / SCHOOL SHORTAGE
STORY: GAZA / SCHOOL SHORTAGE
TRT: 7.25
SOURCE: UNRWA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ ARABIC/ NATS
DATELINE: RECENT, GAZA STRIP
1. Various shots, crowds of children in alley leading to school gate
2. Various shots, children massing into schoolyard
3. SOUND BITE (English) John Ging, Director of UNRWA Operations, Gaza:
“Yes, we have an awful tragedy here at the moment in terms of the new school year and enrolment of the refugee children who are entitled to come to UNRWA schools for their education. We have a limited capacity and under funding. The physical infrastructure has not been increased. That is, new schools have not been built for four years of the blockade on Gaza. The population continues to grow; more students are coming for education to our gates. We don’t have the schools to accommodate them. And we had to turn away 40, 000 students who are eligible for an UNRWA education.”
4. Wide shot, crowd of children going up steps
5. Med shot, four children sitting down at one desk
6. Med shot, children crowded in one desk
7. Med shot, teacher making her way through crowded classroom
8. Med shot, teacher leaning over desk with four children
9. Med shot, children crowded in one desk
10. SOUND BITE (Arabic) Rihab Abu-Foul, First Grade Teacher:
“The problem that I face is that I have a huge number of students in the classroom. The students sit very close to each other and they are not able to write well. I can't work with each child to teach them how to write. They are young students who need to be taught the basic skills of writing. The time allowed for me to spend with each student is very limited because there so many students in the classroom. There is not time enough for me to pay attention to every student. The posture in which the students are sitting by the desks is not comfortable and it will not help them to write properly and comfortably.”
11. SOUND BITE (Arabic) Salem Al-Rifi, First Grader:
“I open one notebook but he opens a notebook and a book and takes all the space.”
12. Various shots, students and teacher in crowded classroom
13. SOUND BITE (Arabic) Rihab Abu-Foul, First Grade Teacher:
“Not all of the students will be able to write. When they move to grade two you will find that some of them are able to write but not to understand what they are writing. They will just have learned a kind of copying. It is known that that the overcrowding cumulatively affects the level of their achievement.”
14. Various shots, crowded classroom
15. SOUND BITE (Arabic) Ikram Al-Shawa, Second Grader:
“We want to write well but we can't because we are three students in one desk. The teacher wants us to do good handwriting and we want that too, but we can't.”
16. Wide shot, boys in container school yard
17. Wide shot, Boy by water taps between containers
18. Pan left, container classrooms
19. Wide shot, students in container classroom
20. SOUND BITE (English) John Ging, Director of UNRWA Operations, Gaza:
“The phenomenal work of staff over the last number of years in the most incredibly challenging circumstances has resulted in an improvement in academic standards in our schools, measurable and significant. Now, that is very fragile because every year matters. What we now of course face is another challenge on top of all other challenges we have resulting from the overcrowding and the under funding which of course now jeopardizes not just the gains that have been made but can seriously and quickly undermine and put is back on a downward spiral .”
21. Various shots, unfinished UNRWA building site in Khan Younis
22. SOUND BITE (Arabic) Talab Abu-Tahoun, Parent :
“I went to an UNRWA school and I wish that my children would be able to go to an UNRWA school as well.”
23. Pan left, UNRWA school children in street
24. SOUND BITE (Arabic) Talab Abu-Tahoun, Parent :
“I had to send my children to the neighbourhood schools and they are also overcrowded.”
25. Wide shot, schoolchildren in the streets
26. SOUND BITE (Arabic) Diana Abu-Tahoun, 14 Year-old Student:
“The number of students in my class is 50 so they moved some students to other classes and other schools. We are still three girls in one desk. Because of the overcrowding we are not able to hear and understand the teacher. I am worried about my achievement level because the classroom is overcrowded and we can't hear the teacher properly. I would really like to go to an UNRWA school.”
27. Various shots, crowds of school children
28. SOUND BITE (English) John Ging, Director of UNRWA Operations, Gaza:
“The obstacle is a simple, straightforward, practical issue, which is access for supplies. We need to get the concrete and the steel into Gaza. You know, it's very frustrating for families here to witness that through the illegal tunnels there is a supply of concrete and steel available if you wish to use the black market. And through the legitimate crossing points there is little or nothing coming in. And so far nothing for new schools, although we are promised that that process will begin.”
29. Various shots, crowds of school children
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees - has had to turn away 40,000 children eligible for enrolment in its schools in the Gaza Strip. The Agency needs to build 100 more schools in Gaza for a growing number of refugee children. Despite Israel's promise to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip, no construction material has come in through the border terminals for UNRWA to build new schools. The existing schools are so overcrowded that classes with more than 50 students are not unusual. In many schools four children sit in desks built for two.
SOUND BITE (English) John Ging, Director of UNRWA Operations, Gaza:
“Yes, we have an awful tragedy here at the moment in terms of the new school year and enrolment of the refugee children who are entitled to come to UNRWA schools for their education. We have a limited capacity and under funding. The physical infrastructure has not been increased. That is, new schools have not been built for four years of the blockade on Gaza. The population continues to grow; more students are coming for education to our gates. We don’t have the schools to accommodate them. And we had to turn away 40, 000 students who are eligible for an UNRWA education.”
The streets outside UNRWA's Elementary Co-Ed school in the Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza City are packed with children at noon when the morning shift ends and the afternoon shift starts. This school was built for 900 students, but now 1600 children come here in the morning and an equal amount come here to study in the crowded classrooms in the afternoon.
SOUND BITE (Arabic) Rihab Abu-Foul, First Grade Teacher:
“The problem that I face is that I have a huge number of students in the classroom. The students sit very close to each other and they are not able to write well. I can't work with each child to teach them how to write. They are young students who need to be taught the basic skills of writing. The time allowed for me to spend with each student is very limited because there so many students in the classroom. There is not time enough for me to pay attention to every student. The posture in which the students are sitting by the desks is not comfortable and it will not help them to write properly and comfortably.”
UNRWA school system is facing a severe shortage of classrooms. The
The Agency needs to build 100 new schools in Gaza but has been unable to do so for four years as no construction material for this purpose has been allowed into the coastal enclave from Israel through the official border terminals.
Despite Israel's promise to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the situation at the beginning of this school year has become so severe that UNRWA has had to turn away 40 000 children eligible to enrol in its schools.
SOUND BITE (Arabic) Salem Al-Rifi, First Grader:
“I open one notebook but he opens a notebook and a book and takes all the space.”
Some UNRWA schools have classes of up to 50 students. The UNRWA school system also suffers from under funding which has resulted in an in an alarming shortage of infrastructure.
There are not enough desks in the Daraj Elementary School.
SOUND BITE (Arabic) Rihab Abu-Foul, First Grade Teacher:
“Not all of the students will be able to write. When they move to grade two you will find that some of them are able to write but not to understand what they are writing. They will just have learned a kind of copying. It is known that that the overcrowding cumulatively affects the level of their achievement.”
These first graders have spent their first schooldays sitting four in a desk built for two students.
Teachers are increasingly worried about how they can give enough attention to each student in the crowded classrooms.
SOUND BITE (Arabic) Ikram Al-Shawa, Second Grader:
“We want to write well but we can't because we are three students in one desk. The teacher wants us to do good handwriting and we want that too, but we can't.”
Gazan families traditionally keep education in high regard, which means that teachers are dedicated and students usually are eager to learn.
But now, the physical circumstances for learning have become almost overwhelmingly difficult.
SOUND BITE (English) John Ging, Director of UNRWA Operations, Gaza:
“The phenomenal work of staff over the last number of years in the most incredibly challenging circumstances has resulted in an improvement in academic standards in our schools, measurable and significant. Now, that is very fragile because every year matters. What we now of course face is another challenge on top of all other challenges we have resulting from the overcrowding and the under funding which of course now jeopardizes not just the gains that have been made but can seriously and quickly undermine and put is back on a downward spiral .”
213 000 students have places in UNRWA schools in Gaza this year.
In order to accommodate additional students, UNRWA has had to place thousands in makeshift classrooms across the Gaza Strip. In Nuiserat in the Middle Area of the Gaza Strip overcrowding is so acute that UNRWA runs an entire school constructed of shipping containers.
The classrooms get very hot in the summer and cold in the winter but despite this, the achievement level in this school is one of the highest in the area as the classes are of normal size.
SOUND BITE (Arabic) Talab Abu-Tahoun, Parent:
“I went to an UNRWA school and I wish that my children would be able to go to an UNRWA school as well.”
Talab Abu-Tahoun wanted his 14 year old daughter to go to an UNRWA school, but he had to send her to a government run school instead, where the overcrowding is at least as severe as in the UNRWA schools.
SOUND BITE (Arabic) Talab Abu-Tahoun, Parent:
“I had to send my children to the neighbourhood schools and they are also overcrowded.”
In recent years UNRWA has succeeded in its efforts to improve the academic standards in Gaza. But all the hard won improvements are now being jeopardized because of the lack of physical space and infrastructure.
SOUND BITE (Arabic) Diana Abu-Tahoun, 14 Year-old Student:
“The number of students in my class is 50 so they moved some students to other classes and other schools. We are still three girls in one desk. Because of the overcrowding we are not able to hear and understand the teacher. I am worried about my achievement level because the classroom is overcrowded and we can't hear the teacher properly. I would really like to go to an UNRWA school.”
An UNRWA housing project in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip is unfinished because construction material has not been allowed in through the border terminals.
UNRWA has not been able to start constructing any of the 100 new schools that are needed.
Refugee families who are eligible for places in UNRWA schools have had to send their children to government schools that also suffer from severe overcrowding.
SOUND BITE (English) John Ging, Director of UNRWA Operations, Gaza:
“The obstacle is a simple, straightforward, practical issue, which is access for supplies. We need to get the concrete and the steel into Gaza. You know, it's very frustrating for families here to witness that through the illegal tunnels there is a supply of concrete and steel available if you wish to use the black market. And through the legitimate crossing points there is little or nothing coming in. And so far nothing for new schools, although we are promised that that process will begin.”
Despite the severe strain on the UNRWA school system, Gazan refugee families try to get their children into those schools. The lack of building material has caused deep worries among tens of thousands of children and teenagers in Gaza about their education.
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