Gaza: UNICEF has warned that the ongoing war in Gaza has completely wiped out years of hard work in the education sector, and that these conditions amount to ‘a direct attack on children’s future.
According to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, Israeli attacks ongoing for nearly two and a half years have caused severe damage to Gaza’s education system, putting the future of an entire generation at stake. He said that UNICEF is expanding its education programs in Gaza, which are among the largest emergency education operations in the world.
According to Elder, around 60 percent of school-age children in Gaza are currently deprived of any form of direct education, while 90 percent of schools have either been severely damaged or completely destroyed. He said that before the current war, the literacy rate among Palestinians in Gaza was among the highest in the world. Education there was not just a means of learning, but a symbol of resilience, pride, and progress passed down through generations. Today, that very legacy is in grave danger.
Additionally, during a press conference of UN agencies in Geneva, Elder said that the destruction of schools, universities, and libraries has completely erased years of progress in education. He stressed that this devastation is not just of buildings, but one that is pushing children’s futures into darkness.
According to a recent United Nations assessment based on satellite images from July, at least 97 percent of schools have been damaged to some extent. In view of these conditions, UNICEF has announced the expansion of its ‘Back to Learning’ program, under which it aims to provide education to 336,000 children in Gaza.
Elder said that it is not possible to wait for the reconstruction of permanent school buildings, so efforts are being made to connect children with learning in tents, community centers, and local spaces.
‘ Learning saves lives,’ Elder said. He explained that UNICEF’s learning centers provide children with a safe environment even in unsafe conditions. Through these centers, children receive not only education, but also a sense of routine, essential information, psychosocial support, and services related to health, nutrition, and protection. These spaces also have proper facilities for cleanliness, toilets, and handwashing.
Due to the extensive destruction in northern Gaza, most of UNICEF’s learning centers are being set up in central and southern Gaza. Elder said that demand for these centers far exceeds current capacity. During a recent visit to Gaza, he saw dozens of parents waiting outside learning centers in the hope of securing a place for their children. He said that the cost of enrolling one child in a UNICEF-supported education center for a year is about $280, which includes psychosocial support. To reach 336,000 children for the remainder of this year, UNICEF urgently needs $86 million. Elder added, ‘That is the amount the world spends on coffee in just one or two hours.’
He stressed that the Back to Learning program is not merely emergency aid, but an effort to save Gaza’s future. Its aim is to keep hope alive among children, restore their dignity and sense of direction, and lay the foundation for future reconstruction. Meanwhile, UNICEF announced on Tuesday that for the first time in two and a half years, it has succeeded in delivering school and education-related supplies to Gaza, which had previously been blocked by Israeli authorities. These materials include thousands of pencils, notebooks, and wooden play blocks. According to Elder, UNICEF has recently sent thousands of recreational kits and hundreds of boxes of school supplies to Gaza, with plans to send 2,500 more kits next week.