Students and Teachers in Gaza: “Education Itself Is a Form of Defiance”

In Gaza where the echoes of conflict dominate daily life mentoring has become both a casualty and a symbol of resistance Through shattered classrooms broken internet connections and the constant fear of displacement or death students and teachers are striving to keep learning alive even when everything around them falls apart Here development is no longer a pathway to opportunity it is a fight for survival Since the escalation of the genocidal war in October schools and universities across Gaza have closed their doors been bombed and destroyed and become shelters for displaced Palestinians The lives dreams and mental robustness of thousands of students and educators have been transformed All of Gaza s universities have been leveled by airstrikes More than percent of schools in Gaza have been utterly or partially destroyed according to U N experts According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor three university presidents and over university deans and professors including holding professor titles have been killed in Israeli airstrikes Despite the destruction and genocide in Gaza teaching is still resistance And every participant and coach who dares to dream is a symbol of unbreakable hope Here are four of their stories Serene Nasrallah at her graduation ceremony from the Islamic University of Gaza on Aug Photo Courtesy of Serene Nasrallah Serene Nasrallah an assistant lecturer of English at the Islamic University of Gaza says the war has reduced her role to that of a mediator and has redefined what it means to teach The the greater part impactful challenge is lack of power and internet all over the Strip as she is teaching passive online courses I can t reach my students easily and even communicating with fellow university staff has become formidable She feels she shifted from being a lecturer to being only a coordinator between the lesson and the students I just share slides I can t explain I can t engage I use my phone to manage everything even grading Related Israel s Bloody Record of Bombing Schools in Gaza Since the beginning of the war Serene observed multiple challenges in her students The focus has shifted from learning to getting through requirements They are surrounded by anxiety fear and anticipation their academic level is badly affected This war has robbed students of the time needed to focus and collect their mental limit when needed With no salary minimal tools and little emotional patronage Serene presses on She shares one tragic story that haunts her still A apprentice who suffered severe injuries and later died after requesting a delay for her final exam I keep thinking of her Serene says How can you ask someone to focus on grammar while they re burned and broken Despite her exhaustion Serene continues teaching I do it hoping this experience might one day help me get a scholarship or job overseas she admits But mostly I do it for the reward from Allah The the greater part urgent need is not guidance it s assurance says Serene Only when the bombs stop falling and the genocide ends can the learning truly begin Heba Alajouz participants at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Dei al-Balah Gaza on Feb Photo Courtesy of Heba Alajouz Heba Alajouz a third-year health learner at Al-Azhar University has not given up on her studies I ve been trying to continue my mentoring in medicine but we stopped attending university Professors are unreachable and chosen have even been killed Others are serving in overwhelmed hospitals We re studying independently clinging to any fund we can find online when there s electricity or internet Heba s tuition has been on hold for about eight months Her university is destroyed and she often lacks access to essential learning materials or the internet I miss everything about university life my friends the atmosphere the daily routine and even the breaks we used to enjoy together she says with deep nostalgia Every day brings a moment of hopelessness she confesses Still I hold on to faith and the belief that I have a duty to continue Heba expresses deep fear that she may not be able to complete her tuition She says she is in a state of emotional denial and has yet to fully process the trauma she and her peers have endured She recounts the trauma of multiple displacements evacuating under fire without her personal belongings or textbooks She has lost both close friends and family members Her grandfather died due to lack of clinical medicine and her cousin was killed during the attacks I miss the person I used to be There is no safe place here she states The war has entirely altered her perception of the future The life and career she once envisioned have vanished and she no longer makes plans for the future until the war ends I miss the person I used to be my emotions my thoughts my sense of safety my soundness and the colorful days of the past she reflects She doubts those days will ever return However she draws inspiration from a saying of Prophet Muhammad If the Hour of Judgment comes while one of you has a palm-cutting in his hand let him plant it Even in the face of the end one must strive to do good That belief sustains her I hope this war ends soon so we can survey like students everywhere safely and with dignity she says Fatima Skaik pictured working on architectural plans Photo Courtesy of Fatima Skaik Fatima Skaik a third-year architecture aspirant at the Islamic University of Gaza lost both her home and university and was displaced multiple times She had hoped to freelance as an architect and eventually work in Dubai She once dreamed of her graduation project which focused on advancing innovation in Gaza s architecture Now my only dream is to survive finish my studies and help rebuild Gaza she admits Learning itself is a form of defiance Fatima was forced to pause her studies from October until August Even access to the internet remains a major obstacle in continuing my instruction she says Fatima s challenges include the lack of tools and spaces needed for architectural training Yet she speaks with deep resilience Our professors were kind They would reach out when I disappeared due to internet outages That kept me going We Palestinians have an unbreakable will Read our complete coverage Israel s War on Gaza She longs for the life she once had her home her room her drafting studio campus outings and nights spent working on submissions Despite the loss she draws strength from her belief in the power of learning as a form of resistance We resist not only with weapons but with knowledge persistence and resilience Development itself is a form of defiance she emphasizes We are strong intelligent and hard-working says Fatima We just want to learn in peace she adds We want to show the world that despite everything we continue We ve become an inspiration to students who feel hopeless for reasons far less than war Nadera Moshtaha center with her association for the English department at the Islamic University of Gaza s Victorian Era Day Exhibition on July Photo Courtesy of Nadera Moshtaha Nadera Moshtaha a senior English-language aspirant at the Islamic University of Gaza shares how the ongoing war has profoundly affected both her academic life and emotional well-being She continues her studies online but the war has had a severe impact Our university has been destroyed our friends have been killed and we no longer attend classes on campus she says She lives in constant anxiety overwhelmed by continuous thoughts and worries She and her family have been displaced multiple times and she has lost relatives and friends including her grandfather There is no safe place in the entire city she says Our dreams and plans are gone But I m still trying Nadera says She misses her campus life deeply I long for my friends our laughs and those vibrant mornings The war has dried my tears I don t cry anymore not even at goodbyes she recounts Power cuts and internet failures are a daily struggle I can t evaluation at night because of electricity cuts and night is the only time I can focus she explains When requested about her future she replies with hesitation and fear Honestly I don t know If there were no war I could have answered where I see myself Yet despite the devastation she says Hope still flies even among death I try to keep writing and learning because maybe I can help this city even with my words The post Students and Teachers in Gaza Learning Itself Is a Form of Defiance appeared first on The Intercept