Tag: education

Gaza students head back to school after the bombings

1st February 2009

Image source: http://digg.com/users/persianpeace (photographer: Josef Hoflehner)

The cards mention the names (and ages) of the students who did not return. According to AP: “Palestinian boy Mohammed Kutkut, 14, right, covers his face as he sits next to the name sign of his killed friend Ahed Qaddas in the Fakhoura boys school in Jebaliya, northern Gaza strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. Three friends of his class where killed when the Israeli army shelled Jebaliya in the past weeks. Tens of thousands of children have flocked back to schools throughout the Gaza Strip, days after Israel ended its fierce military operation against the territory’s rulers.”

UNICEF report that schools are running multiple shifts to accommodate those students whose schools have been completely destroyed:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMbpu8l7Wz8&hl=en&fs=1]

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Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl

28th January 2009

 
Maulana Fazlullah
Image source: worldblog.msnbc.msn.com

The news coming out of Pakistan about the expanding influence of the Taleban is a real worry. Sadly, given the focus on the economic downturn in the West, this is an issue that is not getting the air time that it warrants. Maulana Fazlullah (a.k.a “Radio Mullah”) and his followers are wreaking havoc in the Swat Valley in the Northwest Frontier Province and, among other things, include the burning of girls’ schools in their repertoire. Over 130 schools — mainly girls’ schools — have been destroyed in the past year and, not surprisingly, female enrolment in Swat area schools has fallen from about 120,000 to under 50,000 since 2007. This is set to get worse after it was announced by the Taleban that there would be a ban on education for girls from 15 January. The explanation for this is that sending girls to schools is against the teachings of Islam. The ongoing publication by the BBC of a Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl makes interesting reading.