We, the presidents of Gaza’s three non-profit universities— Al-Aqsa College, Al-Azhar College-Gaza, and the Islamic College of Gaza — collectively accounting for the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s college students and college members, problem this unified assertion to the worldwide educational neighborhood at a time of unprecedented devastation of upper schooling in Gaza.
Israel’s ongoing genocidal battle has led to scholasticide—a scientific and deliberate try and remove our universities, their infrastructure, school, and college students. This destruction will not be collateral; it’s a part of a focused effort to eradicate the foundations of upper schooling in Gaza—foundations which have lengthy stood as pillars of resilience, hope, and mental freedom underneath situations of occupation and siege. Whereas educational establishments throughout Palestine have confronted assaults for many years, what we’re witnessing as we speak is an escalation: a shift from repeated acts of destruction to an try at whole annihilation.
But, we stay resolute. For greater than a 12 months, now we have mobilised and brought steps to withstand this assault and be certain that our universities endure.
Regardless of the bodily obliteration of campuses, laboratories, libraries, and different amenities, and the assassination of our college students and colleagues, our universities live on. We’re greater than buildings — we’re educational communities, comprised of scholars, school, and employees, nonetheless alive and decided to hold ahead our mission.
As articulated within the Unified Emergency Assertion from Palestinian Teachers and Directors issued on Could 29, 2024, “Israeli occupation forces have demolished our buildings, however our universities dwell on.”
For over a 12 months, our school, employees and college students have continued in our core mission — educating — underneath unimaginably harsh situations. Fixed bombardment, hunger, restrictions on web entry, unstable electrical energy, and the continued horrors of genocide haven’t damaged our will. We’re nonetheless right here, nonetheless educating, and nonetheless dedicated to the way forward for schooling in Gaza.
We urgently name on our colleagues world wide to work for:
- A sustainable and lasting ceasefire, with out which no schooling system can thrive, and an finish to all complicity with this genocide.
- Rapid worldwide mobilisation to help and defend Gaza’s larger schooling establishments as very important to the survival and long-term way forward for the Palestinian individuals.
- Recognition of scholasticide as a scientific battle on schooling, and the need of coordinated and strategic worldwide help in partnership with our universities for the resilience and rebuilding of our educational infrastructure and communities.
We enchantment to the worldwide educational neighborhood — our colleagues, establishments, and mates — to:
- Help our efforts to proceed educating and conducting analysis, underneath siege and amidst loss.
- Decide to the long-term rebuilding of Gaza’s universities in partnership with us, respecting our institutional autonomy and educational company.
- Work in partnership with us. Have interaction immediately with and help the very establishments that proceed to embody educational life and collective mental resistance in Gaza.
Final 12 months, we formally established the Emergency Committee of the Universities in Gaza, representing our three establishments and affiliated faculties — collectively enrolling between 80 and 85 % of Gaza universities’ college students. The committee exists to withstand the erasure of our universities and supply a unified voice for Gaza’s educational neighborhood. It has since established subject-focused subcommittees to function trusted and coordinated channels for help.
We name upon educational communities world wide to coordinate themselves in response to this name. The time for symbolic solidarity has handed. We now ask for sensible, structured, and enduring partnership.
Work alongside us to make sure that Gaza’s universities dwell on and stay a significant a part of our collective future.
The views expressed on this article are the authors’ personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.