Bedouin tent (Archive Photo)
צילום: רוני סופר
Bedouin feud drives pupils to makeshift school
Feud between rival Bedouin clans over headmaster appointment forces one clan to open school in large tent
A feud between two rival Bedouin tribes over the appointment of a headmaster at the Abou Krinat village's only school drove its 250 pupils into a large tent that served as a classroom as they returned to school on Sunday.
The Abu Krinat family opened the facility after the Ministry of Education named Hassan Al-Anami as the school's headmaster. Al-Anami was attacked after the appointment and had to be hospitalized.
Members of the Abu Krinat clan say the land on which the school was built belongs to them, which made it their natural right for one of the clan's members to run the school.
Parents opposed to Al-Anami's appointment slept in the school overnight and prevented pupils from entering the premises on Sunday morning.
The makeshift facility, which has a ditch as toilets, was set up by parents who approved of Al-Anami's appointment.
"It is unclear why the State is not helping us," said Abed Al-Anami whose four children attended the tent-school on Sunday. "We appreciate the involvement of parents in educational matters but the appointment of managers and teachers falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education."
The Ministry of Education issued a statement saying: "The Ministry of Education is opposed to the shutting down of schools in ways that harm pupils … The Ministry of Education is seeking to find a solution to the problem in cooperation with the Abu Basma local council."
