2018-05-30

Gaza

Gaza / Announcement

MUSAWA’s Intervention Stops Issuance of Decision 
Threatening Fate of UNRWA Students in Gaza  

 
Every individual is entitled to their right to education; a right which must be respected, and all efforts should be made to make sure that it is realized for all individuals. As part of MUSAWA’s framework and its ongoing efforts to protect rights and freedoms, MUSAWA has succeeded in preventing a decision which threatens the fate and future of two UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip. 

The Crisis Begins

In implementation of its schools’ renovation policy, UNRWA has taken the decision to demolish and renovate Gaza’s elementary joint schools (A and B), and to transfer the students to the schools of Tal Al-Hawa where a system of evening shifts will be adopted. On 9 May 2018, a number of the students’ parents resorted to MUSAWA’s office in Gaza and filed verbal complaints indicating their objection to the decision to transfer the students to the said school. The parents demanded that other measures be taken to transfer the students to surrounding schools, and to adopt a three-shift system based on previous experiences for two consecutive years.

Although we appreciate UNRWA's efforts to ensure the safety of its students by rehabilitating and renovating the school buildings, we believe that the decision to transfer the students to schools in Tal Al-Hawa may have negative effects not only on the students but also on their families. The said decision would burden them financially, affect their educational achievement, and contribute in one way or another to increase dropout rates. "I have more than one child enrolled in the school which will be demolished, and transferring them all to distant schools will put me at a far greater disadvantage," one parent says. 

MUSAWA’s Intervention

Demonstrating its concern for safeguarding and protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals in the Palestinian society, MUSAWA took it upon themselves to follow up on this issue. MUSAWA sought a solution which would satisfy all parties involved, ensuring that the children’s right to education is realized, without any additional burden on them or their families, taking into consideration the social and economic hardships in the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, MUSAWA represented by its Legal Monitoring Officer in Gaza met several times with the parents of the students; the principals of the two schools; and Mr. Mohammad Abu-Hashim, the Director of UNRWA’s educational area to discuss possible solutions. In these meetings, MUSAWA proposed that a referendum be held to take the parents’ opinions regarding the matter, which was conducted by the Director of the educational area. As a result, the decision taken by the majority of the parents was issued by UNRWA’s Director of the educational area and circulated on May 17, 2018, stating that the students will be transferred to the surrounding schools. The principals of both schools as well as the students’ parents were duly informed of the final decision.

Certificate of Appreciation

Gaza’s elementary school (B) offered MUSAWA a Certificate of Appreciation for the efforts made to ensure a promising future for the students, keeping their academic and educational interest in mind.