In order to enroll in university studies, hundreds of Palestinian students in Gaza are taking a crucial end-of-secondary exam that the besieged enclave’s Ministry of Education organized.
The ministry made the announcement earlier this month about the Saturday exam, which will be the first since Israel launched its genocidal war against Gaza following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel in October 2023.
The ministry confirmed that approximately 1,500 students had registered for the exam, which will be administered electronically using specialized software, and that all necessary technical training had been carried out to ensure smooth administration.
Given the daily bombardment by Israelis, some students take the online exam at home, while others do it at locations, keeping safety in mind.
According to Tareq Abu Azzoum of Al Jazeera, the exam offers a crucial window into higher education, scholarships, and a future beyond the Israeli blockade for Palestinian students.
He continued, “Gaza’s students are showing up, logging in, and sitting their final exam, refusing to let war erase their future,” adding that even in a war zone, there are no classrooms, books, and hardly any internet.
Many students in Gaza have been put on hold in their education since the start of the war, and the results of Saturday’s exam will allow them to continue their academic endeavors.
Many of the population should have been in college by this point, but the conflict caused many to continue to attend high school because Israeli attacks have destroyed Gaza’s educational system, as well as the civilian infrastructure in the area.
The education ministry of Gaza has created an online platform, the first of its kind, to allow seniors in high school to take their final exam.
The Central Gaza Governorate’s exams director, Morad al-Agha, told Al Jazeera, “Students have downloaded the app, but they face many challenges.”
“We have contacted the ministry to resolve these issues so that students can take their exams without disruption.”
It’s very challenging, they say.
Wherever they can find a charged device and a functioning internet connection, students log in from cafes, tents, and shelters.
They have completed a mock test that was intended to evaluate both their knowledge and the stability of the system before the final exam.
However, students in Gaza claim that it hasn’t been simple to switch to digital.
Doha Khatab, a student, said, “We are taking exams online, but it’s really challenging.” There is no safe place to take the test, according to , “The internet is weak, many of us do not have devices.” In the bombardment, we also lost our books.
A few teachers have reopened damaged classrooms and provided in-person assistance in order to support them.
Enam Abu Slisa, a teacher for Al Jazeera, explained to Al Jazeera, “This is the first time the ministry has done this online, and students are confused.”
More than 660, 000 children are out of school, nearly all of Gaza’s population, according to the United Nations, because of the war in Gaza and the destruction of 95 percent of the country’s educational infrastructure.
Numerous former UN-run schools are now home to internally displaced people, and Israeli attacks are frequently deadly.
Source: Aljazeera
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