© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-1798/Izhiman
Boys queue outside their classroom at Khan Al Ahmar Primary School in Area C of the West Bank.

By Catherine Weibel

KHAN AL AHMAR, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 21 October 2011 – Every morning, students walk to the primary school in Khan Al Ahmar fearing it might be gone. “Day after day, I worry it might have been knocked down overnight,” said Iman (name changed), a nine-year-old Bedouin student.

Khan Al Ahmar village is located in a mineral desert east of Jerusalem, within ‘Area C’ – an Israeli-controlled zone covering over 60 per cent of the West Bank. Because a range of restrictions virtually eliminates Palestinian’s ability to obtain building permits in Area C, communities are forced to risk demolition of their schools to educate their children.

Slated for demolition

Khan Al Ahmar residents face a life harsher than most. They are Bedouins, among the most marginalized communities within the Palestinian territory, living in a sprawl of ramshackle metal houses without access to running water, safe sanitation or electricity.

Until two years ago, many children in the village walked or hitchhiked to a school in Jericho, 14 km away. But after four children were killed while commuting along a highway, villagers decided to build their own school.

With support from an Italian NGO, the primary school was cobbled together from old car tires and dried mud. It was immediately slated for demolition by the Israeli Civil Administration.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-1799/Izhiman
A girl washes her hands outside the sanitation facilities at Khan Al Ahmar Primary School in Area C of the West Bank.

And because two nearby settlements are planning to expand into the village, demolition orders were issued for homes in the area as well.

A ticking clock

“We have lived in Khan Al Ahmar all our lives. Now our children live in fear of not being able to go to school,” said Abu Khamis, a community leader. “They’re also afraid for the dwellings they’ve been living in since they were born.”

Israeli attorney Shlomo Lecker, who represents the community, says that Khan Al Ahmar is not the only school at risk of being knocked down. “If this school is demolished, it will set the clock ticking for many others in Area C as well,” he said.

In July 2011, residents from the nearby Kfar Adumim settlement petitioned the Israeli High Court to prevent the school from opening for the new school term and to have the demolition order carried out. The Court declined to close the school, but it did request a follow-up from Israeli authorities about its demolition plans.

At risk of displacement

Twenty other Bedouin communities in Area C face the same threat of demolition and displacement; over two-thirds of the residents in these areas are children.

Like Khan Al Ahmar, these communities are not connected to the electric grid and only half have access to water services. Yet demolition poses an even worse fate for these villagers: If their communities are scattered, children may lose not only their homes and schools, but also their culture.

“I do not want my school to be destroyed because it’s beautiful, and I need it,” said Iman. “All I ask is to be able to study and live here in Khan Al Ahmar because this is my only home.”

Young students at the Al Aqsa School for Palestinian refugee children in Damascus, Syria.
© UNICEF video

By Monica Awad

DAMASCUS, Syria, 2008 – Palestinian children residing in Husseiniyeh camp here are suffering from overcrowded classrooms and double-shift schools. Faced with staggering challenges outside the classroom, children are now in danger of losing their right to a quality education.

Almost 80 per cent of the 81,000 Palestinian students attend elementary schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), while the remaining 20 per cent attend either government or private schools.

Due to the large number of students attending UNRWA schools and limited school facilities, schools operate in double shifts that are just under five hours long. This schedule, coupled with overcrowded schools, makes it difficult for students to concentrate and learn in class.

“I have around 600 students attending Al Aqsa School for boys covering grades seven to nine,” said the Damascus school’s principal, Moh’d Qassem. “This high classroom density is a major challenge for us, the students and their families.”

Succeeding despite challenges

Ensuring a quality education for these children is particularly vital. When a child’s world has been turned upside down, going to school is something he or she can count on.

Despite the challenges they face, UNRWA schools have a very good reputation. The pass rates for UNRWA students taking the ninth-grade state exams in the 2003-04 school year was 96 per cent, compared with 64 per cent in government schools. This example of excellence shows that quality can and should still be achieved during a time of conflict.

At Al Aqsa, students study English, science and math, in addition to social studies, computers, sports and arts.

“My favourite subject is Arabic language because it is my native language,” said seventh-grader Jamal Mustafa.

Beyond the basic subjects, UNRWA schools emphasize other courses valuable for children – including classes in communication and leadership skills, learning about their rights, responsibilities, and how to protect themselves from abuse.

Knowledge, skills and empowerment

We developed an anti-smoking campaign where many children of our age group benefited from it,” said student Moh’d Fouad Ahmad, 15.

Overcrowding at the Al Aqsa School for Palestinian children forces the school to operate in double shifts to accommodate all 600 students.

These activities not only equipped students with knowledge and skills but also empowered them to be able to benefit their small community. Investment in education has an invaluable long-term benefit, ensuring that the younger generation will be able to build a stable future beyond the refugee camp.

“I was a very shy person. But after participating in training sessions, I improved, and now I have some leadership skills where I can communicate freely and do many things that I could not do in the past,” added Moh’d.

Foundation for the future

All of these initiatives are elements of the child-friendly school criteria agreed upon between UNRWA and the Ministry of Education. The criteria include active learning methodology, available alternatives to punishment, protection from violence , access to quality water and sanitation services and a functioning parent-teacher association.

UNICEF, along with UNRWA and the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees, has supported training of teachers, supervisors and school counsellors, and provided remedial classes for students at risk of dropping out of school.

For the many children without the opportunity to travel, or even to leave the camp they call home, these schools are a first step towards expanding their world and building a stable foundation for a better future.

“I’ve never left Husseiniyeh camp,” said Moh’d, “but if I did, my dream is to visit Spain since it has many Islamic historical sites.”

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