MoSD Statement: Protecting Children's Right to Education

Ministry of Social Development: Poverty, Displacement, Loss of Income, and Psychological Stress Threaten Children’s Continuity in Education

Restrictions on the Entry of Educational Supplies into Gaza Deepen the Challenges Facing Children’s Continued Access to Education

Ramallah – On the occasion of International Literacy Day on 8 September and the International Day to Protect Education from Attack on 9 September, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that ensuring children’s right to education is not linked to schools alone, but also to families’ ability to provide a safe and stable environment that enables children to enroll in and remain in education, particularly amid poverty, displacement, loss of income, rising costs of basic needs, and the psychological and social pressures facing thousands of Palestinian families.

The Ministry explained that its role in supporting continuity in education forms part of the broader social protection system through supporting the poorest and most vulnerable families, providing or facilitating access to educational supplies, cash, food and non-food assistance, school fee exemptions, and contributing to certain educational and university-related needs, alongside child protection services, psychosocial support, case management, referrals, and family follow-up. These interventions help reduce the risks of school dropout, child labour, exploitation, and interruption of education.

In the West Bank, the Ministry continued, in partnership with the private sector, local institutions, charitable associations, and supporting organizations, to implement interventions targeting students from the poorest and most vulnerable families. More than 6,600 students and beneficiary families received school bags and stationery through 12 Social Development Directorates.

The Ministry also continues to provide school fee exemptions and other forms of assistance linked to students’ continuity in education as part of its social interventions. It also supports some students in universities and higher education through cash assistance or contributions toward tuition fees and educational needs, depending on individual circumstances and the availability of partner support, within the framework of responding to the needs of registered and most vulnerable families.

The Ministry stressed that literacy is not limited to teaching reading and writing after these skills have been lost or missed, but begins with preventing children from leaving education in the first place. This requires addressing the social and economic factors that may push children out of school, foremost among them poverty, families’ inability to cover education-related expenses, displacement, child labour, loss of family care, violence, disability, and other forms of vulnerability.

In the Gaza Strip, the Ministry emphasized that protecting education is now directly linked to protecting children and families amid repeated displacement, loss of homes and livelihoods, psychological and social pressures, and the continuation of education under exceptional conditions through learning points, tents, caravans, and virtual schools.

In this context, the Ministry noted that it coordinated with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide and facilitate the entry of large quantities of school bags and stationery into the Gaza Strip as part of efforts to support children and families and ease the burden associated with the start of the school year. However, the occupation authorities prevented the entry of these supplies, further compounding the difficulties facing students and depriving thousands of children of essential educational materials under already exceptional conditions.

As part of its interventions at the beginning of the school year, the Ministry of Social Development is following up on an intervention that includes supporting 15 learning points and providing educational supplies, with support from Tkiyet Um Ali and implementation by the Palestine Tomorrow Association for Community Development, under Ministry follow-up to ensure that assistance reaches the targeted students.

The Ministry explained that its interventions in Gaza are not limited to stationery or school supplies, but also include psychosocial support for children, protection case management, family follow-up, referrals to specialized services, and support for orphaned, separated and unaccompanied children, children with disabilities, displaced families, and female-headed households. These interventions help children remain connected to education and reduce the factors that may push them out of the learning process.

The Ministry stressed that the continuation of education in Gaza, despite attacks, displacement, and damage to the educational environment, is a fundamental part of protecting children and preserving their psychological and social stability. It emphasized that protecting education from attack does not mean protecting school buildings alone, but also protecting children themselves, their family and social environment, and their ability to access and continue education safely and with dignity.

The Ministry noted that providing food, cash, and non-food assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable families contributes indirectly, yet fundamentally, to protecting children’s continuity in education. Reducing the burden on families strengthens their ability to meet their children’s basic needs and helps prevent children from resorting to early work or leaving school.

The Ministry of Social Development called on local and international organizations, the private sector, and donors to expand partnerships aimed at supporting the poorest families, providing educational supplies, supporting school fee exemptions and educational needs, and strengthening child protection and psychosocial support services, particularly in the Gaza Strip and in the most affected and vulnerable areas.

The Ministry concluded by emphasizing that investing in family protection is a direct investment in protecting children’s right to education, and that reducing illiteracy, dropout, and interruption of education requires an integrated social response that addresses poverty, vulnerability, and protection alongside direct educational interventions.