Minister appeals for help to safeguard higher education

After two years of a war that has destroyed higher education infrastructure and killed hundreds of university workers and well over one thousand students in Gaza, Palestine’s Minister for Education Amjad Barham says his ministry is doing everything possible to ensure the continuity of university education for Palestinians and is appealing to the international community for help.

In an exclusive interview with University World News, Barham said Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza has destroyed more than 80% of university buildings in the territory, including workshops and laboratories.

Citing ministry statistics, he said nearly 400 schools had been either destroyed or damaged, and more than 60 university buildings have been completely destroyed during the recent aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Yet Palestinians remain steadfast in defending their right to learn, he said.

While education has endured a “fierce assault” in Palestine, it remains a fundamental pillar of building an independent Palestinian state. “We hold an absolute belief that through education, we can build state institutions, safeguard their resources, and ultimately achieve liberation from the occupation,” he told University World News.

The scale of the destruction in Gaza supports claims by UN experts and scholars of “scholasticide” in Gaza, a deliberate campaign by Israel to destroy Palestinian educational and cultural institutions and the intellectual and social fabric of Palestinians.

“Today, we cannot speak of having a single hall ready to receive students for face-to-face learning,” Barham said. “The remaining university buildings – which are very few – are being used as shelters and accommodation for our people who have been displaced from their homes after their destruction.”

Ceasefire uncertainty

A US-brokered ceasefire to end the war has been in place since 10 October 2025, giving the territory some relief from relentless Israeli airstrikes, but it’s too early to talk about rebuilding, Barham said. The ceasefire agreement has repeatedly come under pressure, with flare-ups of violence on both sides.

“First and foremost, we desire security and safety for our students”, and an end to all aggression, he said. “Subsequently, we will work to provide temporary buildings and facilitate the return of in-person education in these structures until, God willing, the reconstruction process is complete.”

According to available reports, 241 university personnel have been killed since the war began, including three university presidents and at least 96 academics, with the remainder being administrative and technical staff.

The figure is based on special documentation efforts, while a joint report by the ministry and UNESCO confirms that around 1,351 university students have also been killed. Thousands of others – both staff and students – have been injured, Barham said.

Laboratories and libraries can be restored, but scientists, scholars, and intellectual leaders are irreplaceable. In this context, the saying “a loss beyond price” is tragically fitting, he said.

Beyond Gaza, higher education in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has also suffered under settler violence, Israeli policies that withhold funds the Palestinian Authority needs to run schools and pay salaries, and roadblocks that restrict the movement of professors and students.

Universities in these territories have been forced to shift to e-learning because of the difficulty students and teachers face in trying to reach the campuses. Arab students and teachers in occupied East Jerusalem have suffered as well, said Barham. “At times, entering and leaving was almost impossible.”

Within war-torn Gaza, the impact of war on the economy has directly impacted the educational process. “Students’ inability to pay tuition fees has negatively affected universities and their capacity to meet their obligations, especially salaries for staff,” he said.

The situation raises fears in the ministry of an exodus of scientific expertise and teachers. “We do not want the exodus of scientific expertise and teachers within the universities because of this aggression. Therefore, we must work to provide their salaries,” he said.

Resilience amid ruin

Barham said Palestinian students have largely maintained their enrolment despite the harsh circumstances – relying on virtual instruction and distance learning.

“Teachers conduct classes for students in the West Bank and the Northern Governorates in the morning, and then, through virtual schools and distance learning, they teach students from Gaza in the evening session,” he said.

Barham said that this approach has ensured regularity in the educational process across Palestine.

“There has been consistent attendance for the majority of students in the educational process, and we have been able to complete the two academic years through the virtual schooling system.”

He said the ministry had been able to hold the Tawjihi high school exit exams this fall. Exams for Gaza students born in 2006 were conducted online in September, a year later than normal, and those born in 2007 took their exams in October, Barham said.

Passing the Tawjihi is an important occasion for Palestinian high school students, as their scores may determine whether they get into university, which subjects they may study, and what careers are open to them.

Barham said education is considered a priority for Palestinian families, who “greatly support and sponsor the educational process. Everyone is united to protect education and our right to education.”

“This [Tawjihi exam] represents a major challenge, but one that has restored hope and illuminated the future, despite the hunger, thirst, displacement, home demolitions, and killing. The curriculum has brought back hope to our families inside the Gaza Strip and to our male and female students within the strip,” he said.

Barham said the ministry is in contact with the heads of Palestinian universities to facilitate the enrolment of Tawjihi students (classes of 2006 and 2007). Ninety per cent of the 60,000 students who sat the exam (both cohorts) are expected to enter higher education.

Priorities in Gaza and the West Bank

With a ceasefire agreement in place and hopes that the war will end soon, Barham said his ministry’s foremost priority is the restoration of regular education in the Gaza Strip, alongside strengthening academic institutions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are also facing challenges.

In the Gaza Strip, Barham said: “the very first step would be to restore the in-person educational process”, initially in temporary learning centres while campuses are repaired or rebuilt.

However, before launching any large-scale reconstruction of Gaza’s higher education institutions, Barham said, certain political, security, and logistical conditions must be met.

Guarantees are needed that universities and colleges will not be targeted again in the future, he said. Reconstruction efforts must also address environmental damage. Debris removal should follow scientific protocols to avoid toxic hazards that could threaten the educational environment if not properly handled.

The scale of destruction at Gaza’s universities is immense, and restoration will require significant time, expertise, and funding. The cost of restoring universities will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, he said, and rebuilding schools could cost several billion dollars more, Barham said.

Cooperation with international community

Barham said his ministry was working in full cooperation with ministers of education in other Arab countries. “Some students who were displaced from the Gaza Strip are currently registered in friendly and neighbouring Arab countries as visiting students,” he said, enabling them to continue their studies until they can return to their original universities.

‘There are also some countries where students have been registered and their academic records transferred to complete their studies, especially students in their final years,” he said. “This allows them to finalise their education and graduate, thereby qualifying them to join the job market and assist their families during these difficult circumstances.”

The ministry was also “trying to provide whatever assistance is possible to support students in completing their postgraduate studies through all available means – whether through friendly nations that offer full scholarships or countries that support such programmes”.

According to Barham, regular consultations are held with university presidents to shape a recovery plan in coordination with international and Arab partners.

“These include initiatives with the Education Above All Foundation, the Welfare Association (Taawon), and the PAMA Foundation, as well as ongoing discussions with UNESCO to expand its operational support. It is time for concrete, on-the-ground interventions,” he said.

The ministry has also received expressions of solidarity from numerous universities and academics around the world and offers of teaching assistance.

“There is already a group of professors from several countries contributing to distance learning for students in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

However, still more support from the international community is needed to pay staff salaries, to reduce the flight of academic talent, to help students to pay their tuition fees, and to generally keep universities afloat.

In the Gaza Strip, where universities are non-operational, the “only solution” has become reliance on external aid and student tuition fees, he said.

Coordination is underway with international partners to help secure tuition payments for students. “If tuition fees are secured, the university gains a budget and can then fulfil its responsibilities and provide salaries for its employees during this very significant challenge,” he said.

Universities in the West Bank face their own financial difficulties: the checkpoints, gates, closures, and the economic siege have affected attendance at Palestinian universities. “We are also trying to provide support to subsidise student tuition fees so that the universities can meet their obligations despite this major challenge,” he said.

Governance of aid

He appealed to the international community to help safeguard education in Palestine.

“The international community is aware of what is happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said, “and the ministry hopes that international institutions will assume their responsibility to support the educational process and provide support to Palestinian students and pupils and support the safety we seek to preserve the lives of our children, whether in the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, or the West Bank.”

The ministry has well-defined and transparent procedures for managing all types of aid, coordinated through the General Directorate of Grants and the Student Loan Fund, both trusted by universities, students, and donors alike, Barham said.

His ministry has introduced new mechanisms of financial governance to ensure that international aid reaches students and universities directly, “away from any risks or suspicions of corruption”.

“Trust is the foundation,” he said. “As long as we are talking about regulated mechanisms and full transparency, there is no room for concern. Student fees and aid classified as direct assistance are credited to students’ accounts under strict oversight, with reports based on clear standards and effective monitoring tools that enhance governance and credibility.”

He said that no corruption allegations have ever been raised in this context.

“We believe the issue is well within the scope of accountability and scrutiny. Our credibility is proven by the well-governed operation of the Student Loan Fund, which enjoys a high degree of trust and enables us to adopt mechanisms that further reinforce transparency,” Barham said.

Referring to the impact of the war on research, Barham noted: “Scientific research requires budgets, and today, under the economic siege, we cannot even pay salaries … Therefore, we can say that scientific research is progressing, but not with the momentum we wish for, due to the siege, the scarcity of funds, and the lack of necessary laboratories and workshops.”

Despite these constraints, Barham said that the ministry continues to support international collaboration: “We always focus on providing opportunities for researchers to establish scientific partnerships and work in universities abroad and then return home to utilise the results of their research in training and teaching students within Palestine.”

Perseverance despite loss

Barham said he felt deep admiration for Palestinian educators and students, commending their perseverance in the face of immense loss and hardship.

“I extend my utmost respect and appreciation to the Palestinian educator, whether in the university or the school. This educator has carried the trust amidst very significant challenges,” he noted.

He praised professors as central figures in shaping both education and national identity.

“University professors are like parents to our students, treating them as their own children, working to intellectually and systematically prepare their minds,” he said. “They are shaping competencies capable of shouldering responsibility and building the nation’s institutions,” Barham said.

Barham dismissed any doubts about universities’ ability to remain independent, stressing that Palestinian universities are already autonomous institutions.

“Universities have their own institutional identity,” he said. “Through the Higher Education Council and the boards of trustees, we are confident that universities are capable of maintaining their autonomy. I say ‘maintaining’ because this is a long-established tradition built over decades,” Barham added.

“Our universities have always been committed to neutrality and professionalism. They provide academic services with objectivity, free from political influence,” he said.

He said that the ministry’s work is guided by a comprehensive assessment conducted by the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission to define priorities and design evidence-based interventions.

Barham concluded by emphasising his ministry’s ongoing commitment: “Ensuring the continuity of higher education in Gaza – supporting its students, faculty, facilities, and academic programmes – has been our core mission for the past two years, and we remain determined to do everything possible within our means,” he said.