Holy Land: Christian schools in Gaza reopen without problem

Pupils at Holy Family parish school Gaza - image ACN

The start of the new school year for five Christian schools operating in the Gaza Strip took place with no surprises last week, amidst fears that Hamas might close them down under new Muslim laws. Parish Sister Nazareth, from the Institute of the Incarnate Word, who works for the Church of the Holy Family said: "Children and teachers went back to school and everything was done in an orderly manner".

Last spring, there was alarm with regards to the fate of five schools that were likely to be severely affected by new measures put in place by the Islamist Hamas government.

A law enacted in April by the local Ministry of Education - and due to enter into force in September - stated that the classes of all schools of every grade should compulsorily be divided according to sex, while teachers - men and women - would no longer be allowed to give lessons to students of the opposite sex over nine years of age.

If these new provisions had been enforced, the Christian schools might have had to close. "We do not have the space and the money to separate our schools", said Fr Hijazeen Faisal, head of the schools of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Sources of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said that in October, Fr Hijazeen and the general administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, Fr Humam Khzouz, will go to Gaza to meet with the Minister of Education to disciuss the issue.

About 3,500 pupils attend Christian schools in Gaza. They are the only schools - along with those managed by the UN - to have co-educational classes.

Source: Fides