After a nearly one-year absence from the study seats, students will return next Monday to the ready-made study, according to the plan that has been prepared and is being prepared for implementation by the Ministry of Education and the relevant government agencies in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the start of university registration for new students and the continuation of the completion of the face-to-face study of old students, who in turn missed out on the face-to-face education due to the Coronavirus crisis, which appears to be looking back at its head, which could cause the school season to falter again.
While the competent authorities are planning on the school season, shops in the Gaza Strip have begun to offer school supplies from stationery and others, as well as school uniforms in order to encourage citizens to buy for their student children, but traders complain of a low demand for purchase, while many families are waiting to determine the fate of the study, in light of talk of an increase in injuries in Corona, which may push for the postponement of the face study and the retention of the study remotely.
The new school year comes under difficult economic and life conditions plaguing the population of the Gaza Strip, with the continued imposition of the occupation´s blockade and severe restrictions on crossings and trade movements, and declining rates of poverty, unemployment and lack of employment opportunities, as indicated by international institutions operating in the Sector.
Ahmed Shreim, a clothing retailer, said he has begun displaying school uniforms in his shops in different markets in Gaza City in the past few days, but the demand for purchases is very low, and he hopes that the coming days will see a good demand, especially in light of the payment of salaries to public officials.
Shreim told a local newspaper that the suffering of citizens is increasing these days, especially as they leave Eid al-Adha to reach the school season and the requirements and needs of this season, both at the school level and universities, as well as the proximity of the oil and olive season and the need of the residents in their homes.
He points out that in previous seasons charities have been buying school clothes for poor families, but so far there do not appear to be projects similar to those implemented in previous years, pointing out that financially poor families cannot provide for their children´s needs for new school clothes and others, and depend on these charitable projects.
Citizens´ suffering is further increased as the banking seasons continue to follow and family members continue to follow the requirements of schools and universities, such as fees, clothing, transportation and other matters that the student needs at the beginning of each season, which weighs heavily on citizens.
"The seasons are going on and the expenses are many and important, and the pockets of citizens have become empty," said Hussein Totah, a citizen, while inspecting clothing stores in the Palestine market in Gaza City.
He points out that some of his relatives and friends had to pay for the loan in order to try to provide for their children´s stationery needs only, pointing out that they decided not to buy a school uniform because they did not have the money.
Mervat Abed said she will not currently buy any clothes and stationery for her five children, noting that she will wait until the last minute possible to make sure that a new wave of CORONA virus does not allow for a wave of cohaic permanence.
Abed says that the difficult material conditions we live in can not help us much, and the money that my husband has allocated to buy school uniforms has been provided with difficulty, but we will not spend it and buy any of the requirements of the school season before making sure that we can teach in schools and allow our children to work, so that we do not spend that money in vain, especially since we need it most.
She points out that she has one daughter at university and needs fees for the new semester, and she needs some supplies, which weighs heavily on her father, a government employee who can barely provide for the needs of the house every month, she says.
