The lame start of the academic year in UNRWA schools
in Lebanon
How can it be corrected?
(Human rights report)
16/10/2020
The lame start of the academic year in UNRWA schools
in Lebanon
How can it be corrected?
(Human rights report)
After a closure period
that began in March 2019 due to the Corona pandemic, the UNRWA Education
Department in Lebanon decided to open the new academic year in early September
2020 with a quick online review for four weeks of curricula and materials that
were not completed during the last academic year. Then schools will open their doors to receive students
from mid-October 2020 through the implementation of what was agreed upon to be
called "blended education" by dividing the school's students into two
parts, where part of the
students will be in the classroom, with achieving the principle of social
distancing, while the other part continues studying online.
The online curriculum review experience has been
marred by many flaws and defects, as follows: -
1. The lack of
electronic devices for many students that enables them to keep up with what is
sent or explained by teachers online.
2. The
irregularity of electricity and the weakness of the internet networks in
Lebanon in general, and especially in the Palestinian camps, was a factor
affecting the failure of this experiment.
3. The
difficult economic situation of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the
inability of many families to pay the electricity, internet, and generators'
subscription bills has prevented their children from following up on lessons
explained or sent.
4. The presence
of more than one student in the same family and the lack of sufficient
electronic devices to enable them to accompany their teachers while explaining
lessons.
5. The
educational capabilities of many parents are weak to follow up and clarify what
lessons are explained from a distance.
6. Not sending
enough brochures to all students in schools, which forced many families to
photograph it on their own expense in light of the high cost of photography in
recent times
As a human rights
organization that closely monitors the situation of Palestinian refugees in
Lebanon, we ask the following question: Has UNRWA benefited from the mistakes
during its previous experience?
The preliminary
indicators available so far clearly indicate that UNRWA continues its work in
the same manner by adopting a policy of improvisation, trial and error through
the following: -
1. Failure to
provide schools with books and deficiencies in the necessary supplies.
2. Failure to
secure sterilizers and cleaning materials to apply the necessary preventive
procedures.
3. Not
providing additional staff and cleaning workers to supervise the cleanliness of
the toilets and the rest of the public facilities in the schools.
4. The division
of students in classrooms unevenly, especially in large schools, with the
intention of getting rid of the daily-workers and more than 25 students may be
placed in one classroom, which eliminates the principle of prevention and
social distancing.
5. Continuing
to implement part of the online learning process without providing the
necessary supplies for it, such as I PADS devices or tablets for students or
illustrated and sufficient paper notebooks for all students, it will be
useless.
Faced with this lame
start of the academic year, we in the Palestinian Association for Human Rights
(witness) call on UNRWA to: -
1. Establishing
an electronic platform through which all lessons and videos that are explained
by teachers are uploaded, enabling students to return to it to review missed
lessons, with the aim of overcoming electricity and internet problems.
2. The
necessity to provide schools and students with missing books, pictorials, and
photographic supplies, or replace it with electronic devices (PADS) or tablets.
3. The
necessity to provide schools with adequate quantities of sterilizers,
detergents and medical masks in order to preserve the health of teachers and
students alike.
4. The
necessity to apply the principle of social distancing in classrooms and in
school playgrounds.
5. Hiring
adequate cleaning workers to supervise the cleaning and sterilization of school
facilities.
6. The need to
strictly enforce the procedures for requiring all students and teachers to wear
masks, and to abide by the directives of UNRWA, the Ministry of Health and the
World Health Organization.
Beirut, 16/10/2020
Palestinian Association
for Human Rights (witness)