By
Hadeel Qazzaz
While thousands of Palestinians were celebrating the victory of a young Gaza singer in the popular competition “Arab Idol” the Middle Eastern version of American Idol, local news in the Gaza Strip was circulating the death of two young women committing suicide. The two women claimed their lives after failing to answer “Tawjihi”- end of school exam. The sad news did not stop many people to think of the reasons behind such emotional pressure that lead these young women to end their lives.
Living under one of the longest siege and isolation in modern history, education seems to be just one step to escape and move forward. The psychological pressure as a result of Israeli military aggression, poverty, restriction of movement and restriction of freedom of expression, is topped by traditional end of the year exam pressure. An exam which is very competitive and its results are publicly announced, which adds to the social pressure on young students. The results of the Tawjihi usually determine not only which college you can enroll in but also what subject you can study.
With one in 5 persons in Gaza falling under the “youth” category (between 15 and 24 years of age), university education is under enormous pressure to provide education and training opportunities. However, moving to college in the Gaza strip is not really a step in a person’s career. The limited number of specializations, the limited education resources and the traditional methods of education make it an extension of an over-run and over-crowded high school education. Even Mohammad Assaf, the Arab Idol himself could not study music in the Gaza strip and could not leave to study abroad because of travel restrictions on young people his age, compounded by limited financial resources available to support talented students.
At the same time graduation from university does not guarantee that a person will have access to better job opportunities. What is it that led these two young women to kill themselves? It is possibly because of the accumulation of psychological and emotional pressure, or to delay an arranged marriage or to delay unemployment. The youth unemployment in the Gaza strip is very high. The rate for the 15-to-19-year age group reaches 72%, while unemployment affects 66% of those aged between 20 and 24 years. In Gaza, 32% of men between 15 and 24 years participate in the labor force, but the rate is considerably lower for women in the same age group, 7%.
In all cases and despite all the criticism for deteriorating education system in Palestine, education is highly regarded and much valued by Palestinian families. It is still the best available way to improve one’s status and well-being. After all not all young talented people have a chance to become Arab Idols and escape the restrictive norms of society. For young women university education is even more important because of the gender stereotype of what is acceptable for women. Young men can work in any available job, including life-threatening jobs in the underground tunnels that connect Gaza strip with Egypt (and often used for smuggling people and goods of all types). Young women can only work in certain sectors such as education and health services which require a university degree.
In conflict and war-zone areas, like the Gaza strip, education falls under pressure of fulfilling the demands for social and physical reconstruction. However, the consequent psychological and social pressure is largely ignored. Young people need to view the liberating opportunities of education more positively and with less pressure. The education system itself needs to be reformed in a way that accommodates the new needs of post-war communities. Addressing psychological pressure, fulfilling demands for new types of training and marketable skills, and identifying talents that can serve longer-term stability are only few components that need to be taken into consideration.
Dr. Hadeel Qazzaz, Program Director, Pro-Poor Integrity in Integrity Action.