- Title: PALESTINIANS/GAZA-UN SCHOOLS Gaza UNRWA staff protest at dwindling UN services
- Date: 24th August 2015
- Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (AUGUST 24, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HUNDREDS OF UNRWA (UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY) STAFF AND SUPPORTERS MARCHING THROUGH GAZA STREETS PROTESTER HOLDING SIGN READING (English and Arabic): "WE SAY NO FOR GENERAL COMMISSIONER DECISIONS" PROTESTERS MARCHING THROUGH GAZA STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNRWA TEACHER, SALWA OTHMAN, SAYING: "Why is UNRWA not standing with us? Why would the number of students be raised in classrooms? Why raise their numbers? Do you know what the dangers of raising the number of students in the classroom are? It means dropping out of school, and not caring, it means the student won't receive his rights from the teacher in all aspects." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF TEACHERS SECTOR IN UNRWA EMPLOYEE UNION, MAHMOUD HAMDAN, SAYING: "This unjust decision where the general commissioner allowed himself to take, a decision to give all employees mandatory unpaid holiday. That's something that he's not allowed to do. Also, the case of overcrowded classrooms means a lot (of children per classroom). 50 students (in each classroom) means the end to improving the quality of learning, it means that almost 2,000 teachers are left unemployed inside UNRWA and that's very dangerous." PROTESTERS HOLDING UP BANNERS PROTEST LEADERS ADDRESSING CROWD EXTERIOR OF UNRWA OFFICES IN GAZA UN FLAG FLYING ON ROOFTOP
- Embargoed: 8th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Gaza
- City:
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA61GU8N5ZADJOP5O3TEIVJIMHU
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of UNRWA (U.N. Relief and Works Agency) staff and supporters took to the streets of Gaza City on Monday (August 24), the first day of the school year, to protest dwindling UN services, despite UNRWA saying it would meet teachers' demands.
The employees said they protested a decision made last month (July) by UNRWA, stating that due to financial hardships the organisation will have to stop paying teachers for their annual leave days.
They also demonstrated against UNRWA's decision to raise the number of students in each classroom to 50 per teacher, which they say will harm the quality of teaching and learning and leave many teachers unemployed.
"Why is UNRWA not standing with us? Why would the number of students be raised in classrooms? Why raise their numbers? Do you know what the dangers of raising the number of students in the classroom are? It means dropping out of school, and not caring, it means that the student won't receive his rights from the teacher in all aspects," UNRWA teacher, Salwa Othman said.
"This unjust decision where the general commissioner allowed himself to take, a decision to give all employees mandatory unpaid holiday. That's something that he's not allowed to do. Also, the case of overcrowded classrooms means a lot (of children per classroom). 50 students (in each classroom) means the end to improving the quality of learning, means that almost 2,000 teachers are left unemployed inside UNRWA and that's very dangerous," added Mahmoud Hamdan, the head of UNRWA's employee union teacher's sector.
An UNRWA spokesperson in Jerusalem, Sami Mshasha, said that the UNRWA high commissioner Pierre Krahenbuhl sent a letter to 30,000 employees on Sunday (August 23), cancelling the unpaid leave proposal. He also said that the possibility to raise the number of students to 50 was considered by UNRWA due to financial trouble, but added that eventually the number of students in each class will not exceed 41 students.
Despite its financial hardships, UNRWA opened its schools as scheduled on Monday but classrooms remained empty in light of the protests.
UNRWA, operates 250 schools in Gaza and has deep budgetary problems. It has has been helping Palestinian refugees in Gaza since 1949, a year after Israel's founding.
Its operational budget in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East is about $680 million a year, and it is running a deficit of $101 million.
The organisation has said it cut international staff, frozen recruitment and is looking for other savings. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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