NEW YORK, February 3, 2025 (WAFA) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Farida Shaheed, has reported that more than 90% of schools in Gaza have been completely or partially destroyed, rendering them inoperable. She stated that schools were repeatedly attacked even after being turned into shelters for civilians.
In a statement on Monday, Shaheed emphasized that the recovery of Gaza’s education system primarily depends on ending the war and the Israeli occupation.
She used the term "scholasticide" to describe the deliberate and total destruction of the education system in Gaza during the Israeli war. This term, she explained, refers to the systematic obliteration of education infrastructure and institutions.
While the second semester of the school year began in Palestinian territories on Sunday, education in Gaza remains completely halted since Israel launched its war on October 7, 2023.
Israel's genocide has destroyed the majority of schools in Gaza, including both government-run institutions and those operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The remaining schools have been turned into shelters for thousands of displaced families, making the resumption of education nearly impossible.
Shaheed also pointed out to the destruction of all universities in Gaza, the bombing of 13 libraries, and the complete annihilation of the central archive containing 150 years of Gaza’s historical records.
"Education is not just about acquiring skills; it is also about developing self-understanding, collective identity, social unity, and moving forward together," she said. "This is what is being deliberately destroyed in Gaza. Teachers and students have endured immense trauma during Israel’s assault."
To address the crisis, Shaheed called for large-scale scholarship programs for Palestinian students and emphasized the need to harness the knowledge and expertise of highly educated Palestinians in the diaspora.
"The Palestinian people have shown remarkable resilience," she added. "Even if it takes a generation or two, they will recover—but only if they are allowed to live in peace and rebuild their lives on their own terms."
She further revealed that 10 children in Gaza lost limbs every day during the war, with amputations often performed without anesthesia. "More than a million children and all educators will require urgent psychological and social counseling," she concluded.
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