Gaza families turn to fee-charging schools as formal education remains shattered

An improvised school system takes shape

Families in Gaza are increasingly relying on volunteer-run tent classrooms and private schools as the formal education system remains severely damaged. Al Jazeera’s September 14 reporting from Deir el-Balah documented a field school where pupils study with too few chairs, desks and other basic materials. The report said Gaza’s new school year was scheduled to begin formally on September 19, but many children were already attending improvised classes after repeated interruptions to their education.

The Elyaa school described in the report enrolled more than 1,100 pupils with 40 volunteer teachers and administrative workers. It charged a modest monthly fee, yet displaced families said even that competed with food, water and stationery. Private schools offered buildings, regular hours and smaller classes, but their fees were far higher. Some parents took jobs at schools or negotiated reduced payments to keep young children from losing another year.

Access now depends on household income

That divide is turning education into another measure of Gaza’s economic collapse. Al Jazeera reported that one private school had about 300 pupils and 20 staff, while its director adjusted fees according to family circumstances. Such flexibility helps individual children but cannot substitute for a public system. With employment and household income devastated, access to a conventional classroom increasingly depends on whether a family has cash, work it can exchange for tuition, or a place in a heavily stretched volunteer programme.

United Nations material supports the wider context. An August OCHA update said learning spaces in Gaza remained exposed to military danger and stressed that schools and civilian infrastructure must be protected. A September UN education message called investment in Palestinian children’s education critical amid conflict trauma, instability and funding cuts. A separate September briefing said health, water, sanitation and education services remained under severe pressure across the occupied Palestinian territory.

The next school year is not a return to normal

The September 19 calendar date will therefore not mark a system-wide reopening in the ordinary sense. Temporary classrooms can restore routine and contact with teachers, but they cannot resolve damaged buildings, displacement, unsafe travel, weak connectivity or the cost of supplies. What matters next is whether protected learning spaces and teaching materials expand beyond the minority currently reached, whether families can attend without paying unaffordable fees, and whether renewed attacks force another round of closures. This is a humanitarian and institutional development, not a newly confirmed military action, so no map alert applies.