Education Setback
The United Nations and international agencies on Tuesday (July 28) warned that the Palestinian education system in the Gaza Strip might not be well prepared for new school year. At a joint news conference, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini, who represents the UN aid organizations in the Palestinian territories, and the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), representing at least 25 NGOs, called for free access into and out of Gaza in particular to reform the education system there. Israel has been imposing a siege on Gaza since June 2007, allowing only little more than basic food and medicine to enter. In December last year, it launched a ground operation in Gaza, destroying 18 schools completely and damaging at least 280, according to UN and AIDA. The Hamas government said the damage to the schools and universities during the Israeli Operation Cast Lead are worth more than 12 million U.S. dollars. None of the schools have been rebuilt or properly rehabilitated due to the lack of construction materials. The blockade has also caused shortage in textbooks, uniforms and other stuff into Gaza, the agencies said. "The blockade has caused untold suffering to children in Gaza, who face another academic year in terrible conditions", said Lazzarini. (Reference for text: Xinhua. Photo: Via Aljazeera/file)
