School starts soon in Lebanon but thousands still shelter in them during war

In Lebanon, schools are set to commence on September 15, but thousands of displaced families continue to seek refuge in public schools. Eleven-year-old Fatima Khashab and her mother are among them, residing in a makeshift shelter within a school gymnasium in the southern coastal city of Tyre. The conflict between Israel and Lebanon-backed militant group Hezbollah has forced about 200 families into these temporary living quarters.

With ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, as well as the U.S. and Iran, remaining inconclusive, there is no foreseeable solution for these families to return to their homes. Education officials have devised a plan to reopen the schools while simultaneously providing shelter for displaced families. However, parents are grappling with anxiety due to the uncertainty surrounding their future and their children's education.

Lebanon's education system, historically renowned, has been severely impacted by a series of crises, including an economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and two wars. Since 2019, the country has witnessed a collective learning loss estimated to span at least four years for children.

During the peak of the current conflict, half of Lebanon's public schools were utilized as shelters, displacing over 250,000 students. Nasser Yassin, the director of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Beirut, criticized the government for converting schools into shelters instead of utilizing alternative sites to mitigate the education crisis further.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war commenced on March 2, with Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel, following the latter's military actions against Iran. As of late June, a fragile ceasefire allowed many to return home. Yet, the Israeli military's ongoing occupation of southern Lebanon and its refusal to withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed remains a significant hurdle.

The destruction of homes and repeated strikes against suspected Hezbollah targets have left families like Fatima's and Malak Abu Sari's in a perpetual state of displacement.