GAZA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The final exams for high school students in the Gaza Strip have been traditionally considered a gateway to pursuing dreams and ambitions. However, the ongoing conflict in Gaza has deprived many students of this crucial opportunity.
"I was supposed to take the exams," said Rafea Iyad disappointedly, showing photographs of his peers during the recent exam week.
On Saturday, more than 50,000 Palestinian students in the West Bank took the first round of high school exams for the academic year of 2023-2024, while about 39,000 from Gaza were absent due to the ongoing conflict, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education.
"Instead of embarking on my journey towards the future, I am stranded here in the refugee camps, uncertain of my fate in this devastating conflict," Iyad lamented.
"For Palestinian students, the high school exams are a defining moment, shaping our destiny. They are the key to accessing university education or pursuing opportunities abroad," he explained.
Iyad had aspired to enroll in the Faculty of Medicine at the Islamic University of Gaza and eventually become a cardiologist. Now, that dream has been left in tatters.
"Everything in Gaza is in ruins. Not only our daily lives and buildings but our hopes and aspirations have been shattered too," he added.
Tamer Mansour, another student from Gaza, expressed frustration over his absence from the final exams. "After eleven years of education, my family and I had envisioned passing this exam and securing a path to university. However, I have lost all my dreams, including the aspiration to become an engineer," said the 18-year-old student.
Mansour and his family fled their home in Gaza City to seek safety in Deir al-Balah City in central Gaza. Displaced and without a reliable income, Mansour now works as a street vendor to help support his family of eight. "Now I have a much more difficult challenge than excelling in the exams, which is survival," he said.
The conflict in Gaza has had a devastating impact on the education system. Schools have been damaged or destroyed, and many teachers and students have been killed or displaced.
As of June 17, the conflict had resulted in the destruction of 110 schools and universities, with 321 schools and universities partially damaged. The war has claimed the lives of over 10,000 students, according to the Hamas-run media office in Gaza.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Sunday that the Israeli army bombed 69 percent of schools housing displaced people inside Gaza. In a separate statement on June 21, the UN agency noted that over 76 percent of schools in Gaza require reconstruction or major rehabilitation to be operational again. It will take years, possibly even decades, to overcome the educational setbacks caused by the conflict.
Despite the turmoil, Mansour remained determined to continue his education. "Even though we have other priorities now, we still cling to education," he said, adding that hope for Gaza's future lies in learning.■