As the war on Gaza continues unabated, education is at the heart of an unprecedented crisis. Dr. Amer, a visiting researcher at Cambridge University, has seen the damage from a distance. His plight reminds us that he, too, has been forced recently to flee Gaza, as war rages there. Today he lives with his family in the UK, grappling with the personal and systematic devastation of losing an entire generation of students and academics.
In November 2023, Dr. Amer undertook a harrowing journey to transport his pregnant wife and two daughters to the Rafah crossing, seeking safety and stability. Having tried to exit Gaza four times before, it was only after a long struggle that he was eventually able to get out and to safety. Yet his experiences further exemplify the crisis that educators and students have been experiencing across the state.
Since May 2024, Dr. Amer has been excelling at passionately teaching online from the UK. He’s dedicated to honoring his studies, going the extra mile—even when that means crossing oceans. He believes that Israel’s ultimate goal is to destroy any opportunities for education and hope for Palestinians, stating that, “If we have no education then we have no future.”
The Impact of War on Education
On top of everything, the war in Gaza has turned much of life upside down. It’s ripped the educational fabric, which is so important for our next generations, to shreds. Dr. Amer emphasizes that “we already have a generation lost in Gaza; a generation of students, a generation of academics.” This feeling rings true all across the country with educators and students who are willing to do anything to keep their doors open and their campuses safe.
Mona Jebril, an academic based in Gaza, highlights the disconnect between traditional education and the current reality faced by her students. Students are rightly asking how the ideas of Socrates and Plato are supposed to help them navigate their reality in Gaza. These questions unite the students as they ponder how deeply studying classical education might level up their fight for life.
Dr. Amer argues that education in Palestine is not only about identity or culture, but about resistance. He sees them, especially in violent contexts, as laboratories for hope, resilience, and defiance against oppressors. He states, “Israel tries its best to undermine Palestinian identity … [and prevents] restoring essential political and socio-economic conditions, because education is seen as a source of economic stability for many Palestinian families.”
Ongoing Challenges Faced by Educators
As educators, Dr. Amer and Jebril contend with many obstacles as they seek to ensure a quality education even in unimaginably difficult conditions. Dr. Amer engages in direct mentorship with his students. Most of them rely on solar panels to keep their electronics charged during regular power cuts. He still believes in creating a positive learning atmosphere, even through these challenges.
Jebril articulates the emotional toll of teaching in such conditions, stating, “I constantly think about them … I don’t know who’s still alive or who actually has been killed.” This uncertainty looms large over educators who strive to keep their students engaged while facing the constant threat of violence.
This issue is only exacerbated by the fact that they’re not provided the necessary resources to actually do so. Jebril recounts her frustrations: “And then I go to the university, and there is no electricity, so in the end I [couldn’t] use it.” This reality stifles possibility in the classrooms and lets down countless students who are already too often lost.
The Future of Education in Gaza
Through it all, the challenges are monumental, but Dr. Amer is determined to continue fighting for a better future for education in Gaza. He continues to push for more coordinated efforts to reconstruct infrastructure, roll out mobile learning units and establish digital academic libraries. “To move forward, we need coordinated efforts to rehabilitate infrastructure, provide mobile learning units, create digital academic libraries, and strengthen international academic solidarity,” he states.
The international academic community is slowly waking up to the situation in Gaza. An open letter signed by over 1,000 academics emphasizes the urgent need for action: “We cannot claim that we did not know. We were quiet for far too long … unthinkable things [are] being perpetrated in our name.” This call to action demonstrates a new urgency felt by the academic community at large with global ramifications about the plight of Palestinian education.
UN experts have sounded the alarm on an apparent organized campaign to obliterate Palestinian education—a process known as “scholasticide.” They raise important questions about whether there is a planned, concerted effort to destroy educational infrastructures in areas at war with one another.
