Arab kids prepare to study in shelters
Hundreds of children living in east Jerusalem won't be starting school come September, simply because there is no room. Those who do will be studying in subpar conditions, with more than 50 students per classroom. 'This is clear discrimination, you don't see this situation in city's west,' says Association for Civil Rights lawyer
There's no war, but in east Jerusalem, many children will be going back to school in bomb shelters – and many others won't be returning to school at all. In about two weeks, as thousands of first graders around Israel excitedly march into their first day of school with their backpacks and lunchboxes, hundreds of Arab children in east Jerusalem will be staying home. The reason: There is a shortage of hundreds of classrooms, and registration to schools in the city's east is "first come, first served". The rest, whose parents cannot afford to pay for private schooling, are pushed out of the education system.
The classroom shortage in east Jerusalem, which only gets worse each year, also affects the lucky children who make it into the education system. This is because, in order to deal with the problem, schools' principals overcrowd classrooms, and add classrooms in bomb shelters that lack windows and air-conditioning, or, alternatively, put students in private homes that are not suitable for schooling. "The kids are crammed wherever possible," said Fares Hales, head of the parents' committee in the neighborhood of Silwan.
No windows or air-conditioning
The state of the Silwan Coed Elementary School, which was built 25 years ago, is considered relatively good compared to other educational institutions in the city's east. The facility is equipped to contain 600 pupils, but due to the shortage in classrooms, it now teaches over 700 kids. In order to absorb the "extra" students, two suffocating bomb shelters, without windows or air-conditioning, have been converted into classrooms. And the Jerusalem Municipality's emblem is proudly displayed at the school's entrance.
"It's cold in the winter, and hot in the summer. These are no conditions for schooling," said the Silwan parents' committee head to Ynet while touring the school. While waking down the hallway, Hales knocked on one of the walls, which gave a hollow sound. Beyond the plaster wall that was built in the middle of the hallway, is another makeshift classroom, some five meters long and two meters high. No less than 20 sixth graders study in this small space. "This is the state of the municipal education system in east Jerusalem," he said. "The pictures speak for themselves."
'No conditions for schooling.' School in Silwan (Photo: Noam Moscowitz)
Outside the school building, in the playground where the children spend their breaks, dozens of sanitary and health hazards can easily be spotted. Mounds of garbage, alongside exposed electrical wires, no shade to protect students from the sun, no toilets or water fountains – this is the schooling experience of Silwan's children. Neighboring the playground is a rugged mountain, its stones held back with a simple net. "Everything here is about to collapse," Hales said. "Just last year a boulder fell, and it was a miracle that no one was hurt. It would be disastrous if, heaven forbid, something fell on a child here."
According to Hales, despite repeated pleas to the municipality, the situation in the school has not changed. "For them, this area belongs to the Palestinian authority. They say there is no budget, they refer us from one body to another, but bottom line – they don't care about the east. Only the west."
'If my daughter were Jewish, she could go to school'
Muhammad Kaoud, a resident of Silwan, was forced to send his seven-year-old daughter Rawan to school in the neighborhood of Sur Baher due to the education crisis. "In Silwan she studied in a bomb shelter without windows, air or sunlight," he told Ynet. "At the end of the year I took her to the hospital, because she was developing health problems. The doctor said this was because of the conditions in the classroom. Now she goes to a special school, but it's also expensive. I pay NIS 1,200 (roughly $315) per month on tuition and transportation, so that she can study in a place with air."
Kaoud said there is a lot of anger in the neighborhood over the neglected educational institutions. "The children study in places without playgrounds, places that are dirty, not safe, without suitable conditions. We pay full municipal taxes, but get nothing, and neither do the children."
He accused the Jerusalem Municipality of discrimination. "Obviously, if my daughter were Jewish, she could go to a normal school. Look around, you (west Jerusalem) have good schools. Us? We have nothing."
'Systematic neglect'
"Parents all over the country who do not send their kids to school are prosecuted," said Attorney Tali Nir of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. "In east Jerusalem, not only is nothing done to the parents, but on official stationary they are told, 'Sorry, we have no room for your children,' and are booted out of the education system. Those who do study in east Jerusalem reach a state of over 50 students per classroom, in classrooms that are not up to standard. Clearly there is discrimination here; you don’t see this kind of situation in the west of the city."
According to Nir, this is an inherent trend in the State of Israel, which elects to ignore the reality. "For 43 years, the Jerusalem Municipality and the Education Ministry have chosen to neglect the education system in east Jerusalem and not build new classrooms, despite it being clear to them that this would develop into a catastrophe." She spoke of the consequences of the neglect: "This has far-reaching implications. What child can develop into normative adult life with potential for self-fulfillment, without schooling?"
'Situation is desperate, we are at a loss' (Photo: Noam Moscowitz)
Nir claims that despite the Civil Rights Association's pleas, the municipality and the Education Ministry fail to provide data on the situation in east Jerusalem. According to Nir, while the problems are known, the system regularly decides to sweep them under the rug. "The right to education is a very basic right, and it is also an obligation," she said. "This situation is desperate, we are at a loss. There is already a line of petitions, and despite all the criticism, the Education Ministry and the municipality are not mobilizing for any real action."
'Years of neglect, but situation is changing'
The Jerusalem Municipality said in response, "The city is aware of the gaps and the needs in the east of the city, which were created due to years of ongoing neglect of the matter. Since the start of the current term, many changes have been made with regards to the east of the city – investments have been significantly increased, and extensive work is being done to expand this trend. Over the past two years, new schools were built in the east of the city that house some 200 classrooms. As we speak, the city is promoting the construction of 248 additional classrooms, and the projects are in the planning and execution stages."
The city further noted that "the shortage in classrooms mainly stems from the shortage in land designated for the construction of educational institutions in the city's building plan. Under these special circumstances, the city is providing various solutions by placing mobile structures, renting out buildings and adapting them for educational institutions, and constructing new educational institutions. Today, the shortage is estimated at some 700 classrooms, for which various alternatives have been found until the end of construction.
As for the safety hazards, the city said, "The Jerusalem education board invests a large budget in the renovation of schools each year. Naturally, renovation is carried out in order of priority. It should be noted that school are also run with an independent budget, which enables them to make regular repairs."
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