The Rosary Sisters’ School in Gaza prepared for alternative distance learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but they had not prepared for the possibility of an electricity shortage.
“We knew that maybe there would be a (Covid-19) outbreak in Gaza, so we were planning and preparing,” said Sr Nabila Saleh, school principal. “We prepared for online learning, but now we don’t know what we will do with the electricity. Students won’t have internet. We solved one problem and then another problem came.”
Since 18th August, Gaza has been facing an electricity shortage due to the closure of Gaza’s lone power plant. Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing, blocking the transportation of diesel fuel needed to power the plant following the launching of hundreds of explosive balloons and several rockets from Gaza into Israel.
The balloons, which have continued to be launched from Gaza, have caused 28 fires in Israel, and Israel has conducted air raids on Gaza.
The Gaza plant provides about one-third of Gaza’s electricity, while the Israel Electric Corp. supplies the rest.
Though some of the school’s 1,170 students have solar panels to back up their electricity supply, most do not, Sr Nabila said. The school has solar panels that provide it with electricity.
The school year officially started on 8th August and, until 23rd August, when four people tested positive for Covid-19 in Gaza, classes were being held in school, with precautions being taken. The Hamas-led government called for a complete 48-hour lockdown after the cases, all from the same family, were discovered. No classes – virtual or in-person – have been held since, said Sr Nabila.
The Hamas government in Gaza was being extremely cautious in order to control any spreading of Covid-19 because the Gaza medical system is not equipped to deal with an outbreak, Sr Nabila said. She said there would not be any school on 27th August, and she expected to begin distance learning.
However, the Gaza electricity supply, never consistent even on good days, has been reduced to about three to four hours a day, said Sr Nabila.
“Such poor power feed will negatively impact on the well-being and safety of the people of Gaza. It will also have devastating effects on Gaza’s vital services, including hospitals, thus putting the lives and health of nearly 2 million people, including 1.4 million registered Palestine refugees, at risk,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in Gaza said on 25th August.
In addition to dealing with the limited electricity and Covid-19 distance learning, many of the students have only one computer per household, said Sr Nabila.
“Some of our families have four, five children. They can’t all use the computer at the same time,” she said. Teachers will record their lessons so students will be able view them when they have electricity or access to their computers. The school has been in touch with their families via Facebook to provide information and reassurances, she said.
“This is Gaza, this is the reality of Gaza,” she said.
Picture: Palestinian students holding balloons sit in a classroom at a UN-run school in Gaza City on 8th August 2020, as a new school year begins during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since 18th August, Gaza has been facing an electricity shortage due to the closure of Gaza‘s lone power plant, which affects distance learning. (CNS photo/Mohammed Salem, Reuters).
