Back to school complicated for Palestinians in West Bank
Audio 01:14
The pupils of a primary school managed by the United Nations while the schools are gradually reopening.
In Ramallah, September 6, 2020. REUTERS / Mohamad Torokman
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
In the Palestinian Territories, after six months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, primary schools are reopening their doors.
But this return to school is very different from others at a time when Covid-19 infections are reaching new records, and when the economic and budgetary crisis is more and more complicated for the Palestinian Authority to manage.
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With our correspondent in Ramallah,
Alice Froussard
There was a first start this Sunday for primary school students.
Another is expected in two weeks and if the virus does not spread to high school and college students.
But already in Ramallah, after a few days of lessons, a school had to close, because of a case of
coronavirus
detected.
So Eyad's daughters and all their comrades are back home.
“
If we continue to teach online, that's a problem in my opinion.
It doesn't help.
So I think I will send my daughters to a private institute to study with a private teacher.
"
But in the West Bank, not everyone can afford it.
And most Palestinians can't afford more internet for online classes, either.
► See also: The West Bank, between occupation and annexation
The start of the school year is also chaotic for teachers, says Maryana Akram, science teacher in Dura, in the southern West Bank.
And this, in spite of the masks, the gloves, the system of rotation and the distancing.
“
Unfortunately, not all students take these measures seriously, and they don't understand how dangerous the virus is,”
explains the teacher.
The other problem is that there is no money.
We are only paid half of our salary compared to usual.
"
Because the Palestinian Authority has been facing a serious fiscal crisis for months.
Teachers, like other civil servants, have only occasionally received their salaries cut in half.
►
Read also: Coronavirus: fear of the worst in the Gaza Strip
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Palestinian territories
Education
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