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How Gaza’s children keep learning amid the destruction

Published

5 months ago

October 9, 2025

How Gaza’s children keep learning amid the destruction

LONDON: For the third consecutive year, as students elsewhere grab their backpacks and return to class, children in Gaza carry what little they have left, fleeing from one danger zone to another, their futures uncertain.

Some 660,000 school-age children in Gaza have been deprived of formal education since Oct. 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

For most Gazan families, survival has eclipsed every other concern. “Families have been uprooted 10, even 15 times. Their main focus is on food, water, clothing and sleep,” Issa Saaba, director of the Canaan Institute of New Pedagogy in Gaza, told Arab News.

More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have been displaced multiple times, forced to seek shelter in tents, UNRWA schools, and hospitals — almost all of which have suffered some form of war damage.

Yet amid the devastation, Gaza’s children continue to cling to whatever schooling they can get. “Health and education have never been abandoned,” Saaba said.

“Once there was even a fleeting sense of stability; whether in open fields, partially destroyed homes, or tents along streets and yards, families and local initiatives sought to provide children with some form of schooling.”

Education has long been a cornerstone of Palestinian identity. In 2022, literacy in Palestine surpassed 97 percent, with near parity between men and women, according to Statista.

“Education is prized by Palestinians as a route to a future they’re being denied,” Iyas Al-Qasem, founder and trustee of the UK charity Hope and Play, told Arab News. “But when the genocide intensified, schools were destroyed, robbing children of both education and hope.”

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Since the start of the war, Israeli strikes and ground operations have damaged or destroyed more than 95 percent of Gaza’s school buildings, UN figures show.

“Gaza is in ruins. So is its education system,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a Sept. 1 post on X. He described Israel’s targeting of educational facilities as “scholasticide.”

Satellite imagery analysis by the UN Satellite Centre in July found that 91.8 percent of Gaza’s schools — 518 out of 564 — will need complete reconstruction or major repairs. Nearly three-quarters have suffered direct hits.

Despite the destruction, grassroots educators have created improvised classrooms. In March 2024, Saaba’s Canaan Institute and Hope and Play established three makeshift schools in Al-Zawaida of the Deir Al-Balah governorate, in Rafah, and in Al-Mawasi, western Khan Younis.

“When some displaced families returned north, a school was set up in tents in northern Gaza City,” Saaba said. “Altogether, we reached 610 students at the elementary level.”

Al-Qasem said such initiatives make a difference. “None of these children live in the conditions we wish for them, but we can still make things better,” he said.

Beyond traditional lessons, the groups launched creative learning programs, including puppet theater, storytelling, sports, and community play days, to offer both education and psychological relief.

“The big mouth puppet theater shows took nearly a month to develop and prepare, with the team working under some of the harshest conditions in a city devastated by destruction,” Saaba said.

“The plays promote values such as tolerance, love, cooperation, honesty, and respect for parents, while also warning children about the dangers of playing with remnants of war.”

He added that the show’s main song “is about rebuilding our destroyed homes with our own hands, full of excitement, fun, and music.”

About 60 performances were held in displacement camps, shelters, courtyards, and streets, reaching roughly 10,000 children and many parents. Another 80 shows, featuring clowns, stilt walkers, and bear mascots, brought laughter and lessons to devastated neighborhoods.

One unlikely initiative even introduced a rollerblading academy in central Gaza.

“They managed to get rollerblades and put a couple of hundred children through the academy,” Al-Qasem said. “You look at their faces and there’s joy — it’s bizarre and powerful to see joy in the midst of what’s going on.”

Such activities, he added, gave both children and instructors “a sense of agency” in a situation where little else was under their control. “They weren’t just at the behest of the bombs; they were actually doing things.”

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The courage and dedication of volunteers, Saaba said, was “remarkable.” Despite bombings, famine, and loss, “they showed rare commitment, solidarity and selflessness — examples rarely seen in history.”

In August 2024, the groups held a graduation ceremony in northern Gaza. “Kids waving their certificates in the air amid bombing — an act of both defiance and celebration,” Al-Qasem said.

By then, about 1,000 informal learning centers across Gaza were serving roughly 250,000 students. Many hosted more than 1,000 children each.

But even these acts of hope have not been spared from the violence. In March, 28-year-old artist Dorgham Quraiqi was killed alongside his wife and brothers when an explosion tore through the ruins of their home in Gaza City’s Shuja’iya neighborhood.

“He was our first team member to be killed,” said Al-Qasem. “We also lost a 20-year-old stilt-walking clown who was killed while driving back from a show for kids.

“Everything they do takes place under that shadow. It’s heartbreaking to think about how many of the children who joined our workshops are still alive — and, if alive, what life they now face.”

Save the Children and UN agencies report that more than 20,000 children have been killed since October 2023, with at least 42,000 injured and 21,000 permanently disabled.

James Elder, spokesperson for the UN children’s fund, UNICEF, described witnessing children killed near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. “It was a room full of children, four or five children, all who’d been shot by quadcopters,” he told the news website Zeteo in early October.

The loss of routine, safety and learning has deep psychological impacts on children.

“Schools are one of the strongest protective factors (in war),” Jeeda Alhakim, a specialist counseling psychologist at City, University of London, told Arab News.

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“They offer routine, a sense of normalcy, and safe spaces where children can build supportive relationships with teachers and peers.

“When we think about children’s mental health in war, psychologists often talk about risk factors, things like exposure to violence, hunger, or displacement that increase distress, and protective factors — things that buffer against harm.”

Education, Alhakim said, “gives children hope” and reminds them “they are more than the war they are living through.”

But this is the same reason “schools are often deliberately targeted in war — precisely because they symbolize continuity and possibility.”

Attacks on schools “not only disrupt learning but also strip children of a key source of stability and resilience,” she said. “That’s why protecting education in conflict isn’t just about learning, it’s about safeguarding children’s mental health and well-being.”

Alhakim warned that Gaza’s children face overlapping traumas that “don’t just add up, they multiply.” Hunger weakens concentration; displacement severs social ties; disability isolates.

“Each one strains a child’s ability to cope, and when they overlap, the burden becomes much heavier,” she said.

In August, famine was officially declared in parts of Gaza, including Gaza City. More than half a million people are now trapped in conditions of starvation and destitution, according to an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis released in August.

“A child who is hungry, displaced, and living with a disability isn’t just facing three separate problems, they’re facing a web of challenges that reinforce each other,” Alhakim said. “They may be cut off from school, miss out on food support, or find it harder to access safe spaces.”

She cautioned that “this cumulative risk makes mental health difficulties far more likely.”

Hundreds of UN-run schools and learning centers, many used as shelters, have been struck by Israeli airstrikes, according to Human Rights Watch. Israeli officials claim Hamas militants use civilian buildings to stash weapons and to mount attacks but have provided little evidence.

How Gaza’s children keep learning amid the destruction

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Mr. Taiwo Oyedele as the new Minister of State for Finance

Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, The new Minister of State for Finance

Tinubu Swears in Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance

President Bola Tinubu has formally sworn in Mr. Taiwo Oyedele as the new Minister of State for Finance, a move expected to bolster the federal government’s fiscal reform and economic governance efforts. The brief ceremony, held at the State House, Abuja, followed Oyedele’s confirmation by the Senate and officially welcomed him into the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Oyedele replaces Dr. Doris Uzoka‑Anite, who was redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, marking her third portfolio in the current administration. The appointment is seen as part of President Tinubu’s broader strategy to reinforce the government’s economic team and accelerate the implementation of tax and revenue reforms.

A seasoned economist, accountant, and public policy expert, Oyedele previously served as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, where he spearheaded proposals to simplify Nigeria’s tax system, increase compliance, broaden the tax base, and improve government revenue collection. The committee also explored reforms for public revenue management and extractive sector taxation, aiming to strengthen transparency and accountability.

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At 50, Oyedele brings decades of experience in finance, taxation, and economic policy. He hails from Ikaram in the Akoko area of Ondo State and holds a Higher National Diploma in accountancy and finance from Yaba College of Technology, a BSc in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University, and executive training at institutions including the London School of Economics, Yale University, and Harvard Kennedy School.

During the swearing-in, President Tinubu emphasised the importance of sound fiscal management, economic discipline, and efficient revenue mobilisation to drive Nigeria’s economic growth and development. Analysts note that Oyedele’s elevation from policy design to ministerial implementation signals a shift toward executing critical fiscal reforms and tackling challenges such as inflation, revenue volatility, and budget shortfalls.

As Minister of State for Finance, Oyedele will work closely with the Finance Minister to oversee budget implementation, revenue generation, and fiscal policy coordination, helping Nigeria achieve greater economic stability. Observers also highlight the political significance of the appointment, which strengthens the administration’s economic team ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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NLC Demands Urgent Govt Relief as Petrol Prices Surge Amid US–Israel–Iran War

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NLC Demands Urgent Govt Relief as Petrol Prices Surge Amid US–Israel–Iran War

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to take immediate steps to protect Nigerians from the rising cost of petrol and the resulting economic hardship facing workers and ordinary citizens.

In a statement issued by its President, Joe Ajaero, the union warned that recent increases in petrol pump prices — now averaging between ₦1,170 and ₦1,300 per litre in many parts of the country — are placing “unbearable pressure” on households already contending with high inflation and dwindling purchasing power.

The NLC said the price surge has been driven largely by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have triggered instability in global oil markets and pushed up crude oil prices internationally.

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The NLC also cited projections from the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) that Nigeria could earn up to ₦30 trillion in oil windfall due to the price spikes, urging the government to channel such revenue towards alleviating hardship for citizens rather than allowing it to “grow wings.”

To cushion the impact of the crisis on workers and vulnerable populations, the NLC outlined several urgent demands, including:

An immediate wage award and cost‑of‑living allowance (COLA) for workers;
Expanded cash transfers to support vulnerable citizens;
Tax relief for low‑income earners;
A clear timeline for the operationalisation of all public refineries in Nigeria.

The labour union argued that the current crisis has exposed structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, stressing that continued reliance on global market pricing leaves the country vulnerable to external shocks.

According to the NLC, even privately owned refineries, including the Dangote Refinery, have responded to global price volatility by increasing their own pricing, reinforcing the need for a functioning public refining system.

“Our public refineries must be operational,” the NLC said, pointing to facilities in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna as vital to achieving energy security and reducing dependence on volatile global markets.

The union warned that rising fuel prices have already driven up transportation costs and contributed to worsening food inflation, placing even greater strain on workers and their families.

“This crisis has brutally exposed the fragility of Nigeria’s downstream sector,” the NLC said. “As long as we remain dependent on a market‑driven pricing structure tied to global vicissitudes, we will remain hostages to wars and speculators.”

The union stressed the need for meaningful engagement between the government and organised labour to address Nigeria’s broader economic challenges and protect the welfare of citizens.

“We are not a statistic; we are the engine of this nation,” the statement added. “When the engine overheats, the entire vehicle crashes. We demand action. We demand justice. We demand survival.”

NLC Demands Urgent Govt Relief as Petrol Prices Surge Amid US–Israel–Iran War

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Nigerian Muslims, others should be protected against Islamophobia – UN chief

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March 16, 2026

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Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres

Nigerian Muslims, others should be protected against Islamophobia – UN chief

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Guterres warned that growing prejudice against Muslims threatens social cohesion, human rights and peaceful coexistence, stressing that intolerance against any group undermines the foundations of inclusive societies.

He made the appeal in a message marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, observed annually on March 15.

According to the UN chief, the world’s nearly two billion Muslims come from diverse cultures, languages and traditions, reflecting the richness and diversity of humanity.

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“These worrying trends are fuelled by anti-Muslim rhetoric and outright hate, which can lead to harassment and violence against individuals and places of worship,” he said.

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He urged governments worldwide to take concrete steps to address religious discrimination, protect freedom of belief, and combat hate speech in line with international human rights law.

According to him, national laws and policies must guarantee equal rights and protection for everyone regardless of religion, belief, ethnicity or background.

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He said social media companies must act responsibly by removing harmful content and preventing harassment based on religion or belief.

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“On this International Day to Combat Islamophobia, let us recommit to equality, human rights and dignity for every person, regardless of faith,” he said.

“Let us eradicate the scourge of Islamophobia from every country and community.”