Teachers’ strike leaves 540,000 West Bank children at home for weeks
Teachers and learning
A teacher in a class at a UN-run school in the West Bank
听
For a month, more听than 25,000 teachers in the West Bank have been on strike over听pay and benefits 鈥 causing chaos for schools, pupils and parents,听and prompting the Palestinian Authority to deploy military听police on the streets of Ramallah.
And yet, if Palestinian officials have any doubts about the听quality of some of the teachers they employ, they need look no听further than Hanan al-Hroub of Bethlehem, who is in the running听to win $1 million this week for being the world鈥檚 best teacher.
With the West Bank economy struggling, the Palestinian听Authority in debt and Israel鈥檚 occupation causing constant听pressure, there are few funds available to raise teachers鈥櫶齭alaries, unless international donors provide direct support.
In Ramallah, where the Palestinian administration is based,听thousands of teachers have thronged the downtown area since February听10, protesting against low pay and the fact they receive far听fewer benefits than other government employees.
It marks one of the most serious and extended strikes in the听Palestinian territories and has resulted in more than 540,000听students sitting at home or roaming the streets, their initial听enjoyment of a few days off school now turning to frustration.
The teachers are angry and frustrated, too. Naeem Bozeyah,听who has a master鈥檚 degree in mathematics and has taught the听subject for 20 years, says his basic salary is frozen at 2660听shekels a month ($680), barely enough to provide for his wife听and family, including three children at university.
What鈥檚 more, while in other ministries government employees听receive a 鈥渂onus鈥 each month of 105 shekels if they are married听and 60 shekels for each child, for teachers it is only 60听shekels once you are married and 20 shekels per child.听
鈥淥ur demands are clear,鈥 Bozeyah told Reuters. 鈥淲e want our听salaries to be improved and we want the government to pay our听dues and equate us with employees in other ministries.鈥
Watch Global Teacher Prize finallist Hanan Al Hroub talk about the power of education
Ministers gathered for a cabinet meeting this week expressed听regret about the time the strike has dragged on and the听disruption to the school year. They accused teachers of听rejecting efforts to resolve the dispute.
While teachers鈥 representatives say they will continue the strike as long as necessary 鈥 and say 90% of teachers are taking part 鈥 students in the 1700 schools affected are becoming annoyed, as are their parents.
鈥淭he strike is wrong and right at the same time,鈥 said Mohammad Abu Hwaij, a 10th-grade student. 鈥淚t鈥檚 right because the government must give teachers their rights and wrong because we have not been studying for a month.鈥
He and his friends have mostly been wandering the streets looking for things to do and are beginning to worry that they will have to repeat a year of school.
It鈥檚 all a far cry from the future that may await Hanan Al Hroub, a primary school teacher who grew up in a refugee camp near Bethlehem. She has gained acclaim for her focus on teaching non-violence, ethics and respect, with remarkable results.
This week, she travelled from the West Bank to Dubai, where on March 13 the Varkey Foundation, an educational charity, will announce the winner of its second annual , which has been dubbed the Nobel prize for teaching.
Hroub is one of 10 finalists, having been whittled down from 8000 nominations from 148 countries.
鈥淚 tell all teachers, whether Palestinian or from around the world: our job is humane, its goals are noble,鈥 Hroub said in a film made about her work. 鈥淲e must teach our children that our only weapon is knowledge and education.鈥
The , the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, covers humanitarian news, women鈥檚 rights, corruption and climate change.
More news
