Today marks the first end-of-school exams since October 2023 when conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas, announced by Gaza’s Education Ministry. Around 1,500 high school students registered to take their exams through Al Jazeera’s digital platform and local officials, Al Jazeera reports.
As more than 95% of Gaza’s educational infrastructure was destroyed by ongoing bombardment, students were forced to take exams in makeshift locations such as cafes, tents and surviving classrooms – often without essential resources like computers, stable internet connection or textbooks – forcing many into unsafe spaces like cafes and tents without adequate internet coverage and safe spaces for conducting tests. One graduating student noted: “Internet connectivity is weak; many don’t have devices or safe spaces,” reported Doha Khatab (Omni+1 @AlJazeera). Omni +1 Al Jazeera
Exams for Central Gaza students are being administered online using a specially-developed app, but Morad al-Agha, exams director, has noted that even with technical preparations having been made, students still face connectivity challenges when sitting their exams without disruption from interruption or disruptions caused by technical glitches. “We have raised these issues,” according to UNICEF and Al Jazeera correspondents on their respective channels +7 (UNICEF + Al Jazeera = 7 and Yahoo for its version + 7).
Even amid these difficult circumstances, many described sitting the exams as an act of resistance and hope. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Deir el-Balah that “despite no classrooms, no books and minimal internet, Gaza students are showing up… refusing to let war erase their future.” [+1 7]
Background and Context
Since October 7, 2023, Gaza has been devastated by Israeli military operations launched after Hamas-led attacks against southern Israel. Independent monitors and Palestinian authorities estimate over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed during this conflict, along with thousands of schools and universities being damaged or destroyed (X (formerly Twitter), Wikipedia and Reuters all providing estimates).
A 2024 UN report indicated that by mid-2024, over 200 schools had been affected and 80% of university buildings severely damaged or destroyed, as per nonprofitquarterly.org +7 and Wikipedia+7 respectively.
Before this week’s exams began, Gaza’s educational system had already been reduced to minimal online learning and tented classrooms. A previous Reuters report had noted that some students had crossed over into Egypt or West Bank in order to sit exams – yet most Gaza students went without formal testing at any point during 2018. *Sources include Reuters.
Meaning and Implications
Gaza’s Education Ministry’s exams represent an ambitious effort to restore some semblance of order and opportunity in Gaza. Passing these exams is essential for students hoping to pursue university education, scholarships or professional paths; yet their tenuous infrastructure, intermittent internet and ongoing violence compromise fairness and safety in exam results.
Humanitarian and Educational Challenges Ahead (Washington DC, April 8, 2011)
Connectivity issues: Regular internet blackouts–now the 10th major outage since the start of war–have repeatedly disrupted education, aid coordination, and emergency response in Syria. Al Jazeera/AP News’ analysis on this matter can be found here
Infrastructure Rebuilding: Gaza will require extensive reconstruction of schools, universities and digital systems to restore full educational services.
Psychological Toll: Students encounter immense trauma due to war, displacement and loss that calls for immediate mental health support alongside academic recovery.
Looking Forward
Although Gaza’s students may have found some measure of resilience through taking exams, they remain in urgent need of support and investments in learning recovery, digital access and safe school environments. Humanitarian agencies and the international education community have called for long-term investments into learning recovery, digital access and safe school environments; only through concerted effort can Gaza’s students rebuild their futures amid destruction and despair.