Gaza Students Return to Tent Classrooms Amid Soaring Costs

Gaza families prepare for the 2026–2027 academic year starting September 19 amid severe economic hardship. Children return to educational tents instead of traditional buildings as markets struggle with inflated prices for basic school supplies like uniforms and notebooks.

Khaled Oweis walks through local markets with his sons searching for necessary items. He finds that basic supplies for two children now cost over 250 shekels, a significant increase from the pre-war price of less than 100 shekels. The sharp rise shocks parents who remember more affordable times.

More than 97 percent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since October 2023. This devastation leaves approximately 658,000 school-age children without access to formal education. The once developed system with high literacy rates has been systematically dismantled by ongoing conflict and destruction.

Students now attend classes in adjoining tents or wooden structures made from recycled materials. These makeshift shelters often lack electricity, ventilation, and adequate seating. They offer little protection from extreme heat, rain, or winter cold, creating difficult learning environments for displaced children across the strip.

Ibrahim Ramadan from the Ministry of Education reports that 777 education workers and over 22,000 students have been killed. Many surviving schools remain inaccessible behind the Israeli-controlled Yellow Line. Despite these losses, authorities expect around 400,000 students to enroll in various temporary learning spaces this year.

Stationery shop owner Yahya al-Firea’ notes that sales have dropped drastically due to restricted goods entry. A single pencil now costs what four used to cost before the war. Mothers can barely afford a few notebooks, forcing children to divide single books among multiple subjects as families struggle to maintain educational routines.