Jo01 februari 2009 – 10:04

GCE strongly condemns the attacks on schools and the killing of innocent civilians, including children. Education institutions must at all cost be protected as safe havens in which students may continue to receive their education. Targeting schools in warfare is as immoral as using education institutions as a cover for military action.

Fifteen schools in Gaza suffered damage from airstrikes. Four received direct hits including 3 UN schools sheltering civilians as well as the American School in Gaza which was almost completely destroyed. One UN school also serving as an Internally Displaced People (IDP) centre, was hit on 6th of January, killing 30 civilians including children . An additional 8 students were killed and another 18 injured while waiting for UN buses on 27 December 2008. The Gaza education infrastructure has been severely damaged, while several Israeli schools were hit as well.

GCE condemns the targeting of schools , the killing of children and teachers and disruptions to education services anywhere in the world. The protection of children during an emergency must be paramount and education in safe schools can play a vital role in the physical and psychological protection of children throughout and after a crisis.

Education is recognised as a fundamental human right regardless of the circumstances. GCE believes that there is a need to include education as a core concern in any humanitarian aid response, including support for the provision of education materials to help motivate the learning. Teachers must also be given the psycho-social support required to help deal with the trauma experienced by students and pave the way for learning.

We believe that maximum efforts must be made to protect schools and ensure children's right to education during any conflict, and we call on governments and inter-governmental agencies to do their utmost to avoid repetition of the attacks on Gaza and Israel, which have damaged the futures of so many children. GCE calls for the immediate provision of support to rebuild the education infrastructure in Gaza, with special attention to addressing the psycho-social traumas suffered by thousands of children, and to opening the Gaza Strip's borders to enable education to resume free of the constraints imposed by the siege.