In Hamas schools, every child has a computer

By Avi Issacharoff
Haaretz
Sep. 07, 2006

GAZA - The bell rang at 10 A.M. and the hundreds of children who were on break in the Dar al-Arkam school yard ran like crazy to their classrooms, but in a perfectly orderly manner, with hardly any shouting. Despite the remarkable discipline at the school identified with Hamas, kids will be kids: Every few seconds a blast was heard - not of an Israeli mortar shell or Palestinian rocket; just empty sandwich bags the kids fill with air and then burst.

This school in the northern Gaza Strip has no pictures of its founder, Hamas' spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Only Mickey Mouse's image adorns the second story. The spotless walls are painted pink and white, bare of any reference to Hamas or the war with Israel. Only the green flag of Islam at the entrance to the building reveals the political affiliation of the school's management.

The U-shaped school has a lavish, almost sterile feel to it compared to other schools in the Strip. It has several hundred boys and girls in grades 1 to 11, who are dressed in an unusual school uniform: boys in navy blue button-down shirts reminiscent of cocktail party attire; girls in head scarves and navy blue skirts for the younger ones, long dresses for the older set.

The school permit from the Palestinian Authority dates from the days of Fatah's rule. It is considered an experimental project, which in its three years of operation has acquired many admirers in Gaza, especially among parents. The number of pupils wishing to enroll continues to grow. Funding comes from the Gulf states and charities associated with Hamas, but unlike in previous years, parents now have to pay tuition.

The presence of an Israeli press crew is not welcomed initially. The teachers are suspicious; most have their faces covered - like in Iran, with only their eyes glancing out in hate. But after a few moments the okay arrives, the eyes soften and the school inspector agrees to cooperate. A group of children gathers politely by the photographer, without shoving. One boy, Khaled Lulu, 6, smiles at the camera. He started first grade just four days before and shows off the special name tag on his lapel.

"What right did Israel have to bomb a school?" asks the inspector, Mohammed Nufal, referring to the Israeli bombardment of the Dar al-Arkam branch in the Tufah neighborhood. "Three times they bombed there and that's an exemplary school, for students who excel. Look at our children. There is no shoving at recess, no fights. You won't find strikes or unruliness here like you see at the government schools. Look at the cleanliness."

A glance round the yard proves the inspector right: a group of pupils are collecting any remaining dirt. "We give every child a computer. There are excellent labs here," Nufal says. The question of what is manufactured in the labs fails to elicit a smile. "You are welcome to see. There are no weapons in the building. Everything is under Education Ministry supervision. We have an excellent faculty that undergoes special training and implements the most advanced study techniques. The number of pupils per class is less than 30, whereas [government schools] have 50-55. The children get a large and nutritious breakfast. You know, we even have a water purification station, so the kids can drink freely. After all, the frequent power outages in the Strip halt the pumping."

The curriculum barely differs from government schools, and the kids here also study from ministry books. "There is one difference. Our children get supplementary Koran classes," Nufal says. But the big question of what precisely the children are taught from the Koran, with what interpretation, remained unanswered.

The preferential conditions at the school suggest the possibility of discrimination in enrollment based on political affiliation. To this the inspector has a ready answer: "Never. From our standpoint, there is no difference between the child of a Fatah man or a Hamas member. Even if the father was a collaborator, the child does not have to pay for that. The sole condition as far as we're concerned are the admission tests for first grade, and if the children wishing to enroll are older, then whoever has better grades will be accepted."












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