Quick Summary: Gazas Education Crisis : 98% of Schools Damaged as Classes Resume
- UNICEF reports 700,000 children in Gaza missed formal schooling for nearly three years, highlighting a significant educational gap.
- About 540,000 students have returned to in-person classes, despite 98% of schools being damaged or destroyed.
- Ibrahim Ramadan states that the war has killed 22,000 students and over 770 education workers, underscoring the human cost.
- Students like Samar Abu Salmi are studying in tents, illustrating the dire conditions of the educational environment.
- Efforts by the Gaza Ministry of Education, supported by UNICEF, have set up temporary schools, but challenges remain.
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In a region scarred by conflict and devastation, the return of Gaza’s students to in-person schooling marks a fragile milestone. After nearly three years of educational disruption, approximately 540,000 children have resumed classes. However, this return is shadowed by the harsh reality of damaged infrastructure, with 98% of schools in ruins.
The statistics are staggering. UNICEF reveals that around 700,000 children missed formal schooling, while the war’s toll includes the deaths of 22,000 students and over 770 education workers. Despite these challenges, the resilience of Gaza’s youth shines through. Students like Samar Abu Salmi, who study in tents, embody a determination to learn against all odds.
The Gaza Ministry of Education, backed by international support, has set up temporary schools using tents and makeshift materials. Yet, the question remains: Is this enough? Teachers face the daunting task of educating without basic supplies, and the ongoing conflict continues to threaten stability.
As the new academic year unfolds, the focus is on whether this tentative step can lead to a sustainable educational recovery. The situation demands urgent attention from global stakeholders to ensure that Gaza’s students can pursue their dreams without the constant shadow of war.
Ibrahim Ramadan, director of education for East Khan Younis, said the war has killed around 22,000 students and more than 770 education workers, including 532 teachers. UNICEF’s education update says about 700,000 children aged 4 to 17 missed formal in-person schooling for almost three school years in a row, and that nearly all children in Gaza have not had a formal school day since October 2023.
” Fifteen-year-old Samar Abu Salmi, who lives with her family in a tent, said, “We studied on phones and we haven’t seen our teachers… Gaza’s most striking new development is that roughly 540,000 to 541,000 children in Gaza have now gone back to face-to-face classes for the first time in nearly three years, but they are doing so in tents, wrecked school buildings, and improvised learning sites after what UNICEF says is damage or destruction to 98% of the territory’s schools.
That combination — a reopening measured in the hundreds of thousands, layered over deaths in the tens of thousands and systemwide destruction at 98% of school buildings — is the revelation that gives this week’s coverage its force. Reuters reports that Israeli forces remain in control of more than 60% of Gaza, beyond the portion they were permitted to keep temporarily under the October 2025 ceasefire arrangement, and Al Jazeera says bombing has continued despite the ceasefire, with two students killed earlier this month.
On September 19, the new academic year began and students were photographed entering UN-run and makeshift schools in places including Nuseirat and Gaza City. On September 20, Al Jazeera published on-the-ground reporting from tent schools, adding the figure that 317,332 students had been attending face-to-face educational spaces in January and another 120,000 were enrolled in virtual schools taught by teachers from the West Bank, showing how sharply in-person access has expanded this month.
Officials expect at least 540,000 students to attend in-person classes this year in makeshift private schools, temporary learning centers, and educational points, while online learning will continue for children who cannot physically attend or who left Gaza during the war. Moayed Abu Mustafa said, “The last time I have been to school was three years ago.
Ibrahim Ramadan, director of education for East Khan Younis, said the war has killed around 22,000 students and more than 770 education workers, including 532 teachers. About 540,000 students have returned to in-person classes, despite 98% of schools being damaged or destroyed.
However, this return is shadowed by the harsh reality of damaged infrastructure, with 98% of schools in ruins. UNICEF’s education update says about 700,000 children aged 4 to 17 missed formal in-person schooling for almost three school years in a row, and that nearly all children in Gaza have not had a formal school day since October 2023.
” Fifteen-year-old Samar Abu Salmi, who lives with her family in a tent, said, “We studied on phones and we haven’t seen our teachers… Quick Summary: Gaza students return to in-person schooling for first time in three years – Gulf Daily News (Bahrain) UNICEF reports 700,000 children in Gaza missed formal schooling for nearly three years, highlighting a significant educational gap.
Gaza’s most striking new development is that roughly 540,000 to 541,000 children in Gaza have now gone back to face-to-face classes for the first time in nearly three years, but they are doing so in tents, wrecked school buildings, and improvised learning sites after what UNICEF says is damage or destruction to 98% of the territory’s schools. That combination — a reopening measured in the hundreds of thousands, layered over deaths in the tens of thousands and systemwide destruction at 98% of school buildings — is the revelation that gives this week’s coverage its force.
The scale and speed of this development has caught many observers off guard. Each new update adds another dimension to a story that is still unfolding, and the full picture will only become clear as more verified details emerge from the people and institutions directly involved.
Analysts who have tracked this issue closely say the current moment represents a genuine turning point. The decisions made in the coming weeks are expected to set the direction for months ahead, with ripple effects likely to extend well beyond the immediate actors in the story.
For those directly affected, the practical impact is already visible. People navigating this fast-changing situation are dealing with real consequences while new information continues to reshape what is known and what remains open to interpretation.
Historical parallels offer some context, though experts caution against drawing too close a comparison. Similar situations have played out before, but the specific combination of pressures, personalities, and timing here makes this moment distinct in ways that matter for how it ultimately resolves.
The political and economic dimensions of this story are deeply intertwined. What appears as a single event on the surface is in practice the convergence of multiple pressures that have been building quietly over a longer period than most public reporting has captured.