Gazan teacher builds school for displaced children in Egypt
Free Palestinian school in North Sinai now educates nearly 400 children uprooted from Gaza by years of war
EL-ARISH, Egypt (MNTV) — A Palestinian teacher displaced from Gaza has established a free school in Egypt’s North Sinai, providing education to hundreds of Palestinian children whose schooling was disrupted by war and displacement.
According to AFP, as reported by Kuwait Times, mathematics teacher and school administrator Hadeel Zourob established the educational center after fleeing Gaza with her family in April 2024 and settling in El-Arish, about 44 kilometers from the Gaza border.
Zourob joined other displaced Palestinian teachers to begin classes for a small group of children in a rented building. The initiative has since expanded from around 150 students during its first year to nearly 400 children between the ages of six and 18.
Financial support from Egypt’s Misr El Kheir Foundation has helped cover rent and educational materials as enrollment increased. The center is now the only Palestinian school operating in North Sinai.
Students follow the Palestinian curriculum, using textbooks and other learning materials, some of which were brought from Gaza.
Some children attending the school entered Egypt for medical treatment after suffering war-related injuries, while others fled Gaza with their families. Many live in temporary accommodation provided by Egyptian authorities, while some continue receiving medical rehabilitation.
UNICEF estimates that more than 14,000 Palestinian school-age children have been displaced to Egypt since the war began.
Accessing education has remained difficult for displaced families because of internet and electronic-device costs, rising living expenses and uncertainty surrounding legal status.
The crisis is even more severe inside Gaza, where UN agencies estimate that about 98% of schools have been damaged or destroyed during the war.
Teachers at the El-Arish school say their work extends beyond academic lessons, with the school also seeking to help children recover psychologically from displacement while maintaining their connection to Palestinian identity and school life.
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