In tattered tents beneath the roar of warplanes, thousands of university students in Gaza prepare for end-of-term exams under unprecedented conditions. With in-person education halted due to relentless attacks, virtual learning has become their only option – transforming education into a daily battle against psychological and technical suffocation.
The Dual Crisis: Psychological Strain and Crumbling Infrastructure
According to Nisaa FM, students now grapple not only with coursework but with complex emergencies. Sudden internet blackouts may exclude them from critical lectures or decisive exams. Fragile, costly connectivity forces impossible choices between limited participation or forced absence. Without interactive dialogue with professors and doctors, grasping theoretical concepts grows increasingly difficult.
Student Testimonies: “Everything Conspires Against Us”
“I review lessons by my phone’s light, but the moment I open the university site, the internet cuts off – like everything conspires against us,” says Noha Abusabt, an Applied Sciences College student.
Mohammed Al-Araj, an Engineering student, adds: “We used to debate and question in class. Now I face a silent screen, reviewing alone, asking myself questions instead of my professor.”
Exam Season: When Connectivity Becomes Life-Altering
As final exams approach, the crisis intensifies:
- Students who successfully review materials often cannot submit answers during critical blackouts.
- Many lose access to the Moodle e-platform mid-exam.
- Others race against countdown timers while struggling to upload files.
Institutional Band-Aids: Universities’ Limited Solutions
Universities attempt damage control through:
- Alternative platforms like WhatsApp and Moodle
- Flexible exam scheduling
- Recorded lecture libraries
Yet these remain temporary fixes. As one academic admits: “Solutions fall short without systemic overhaul of education under siege and bombardment.”
Defiant Dreams: “Electricity Fails, But Our Right to Learn Endures”
In Gaza, students pursue more than degrees – they fight to preserve dreams that bombs cannot extinguish and blackouts cannot erase. They memorize lectures not just for grades, but to safeguard their right to education, however intermittent the signals or dark their rooms–defying destruction with determined minds.
From: Nisaa FM