A West Bank village school has become a flashpoint amid escalating violence, with at least five pupils killed in the past year by settlers and soldiers. An English teacher describes the stark contrast between his passion for teaching and the daily dangers faced by students and staff, including road blockades and settler attacks. The military’s restrictions have made it difficult for teachers from nearby villages to reach work, while the presence of settlers has turned what should be a place of learning into a precarious existence. The report explores how life in the school has been upended by the surrounding conflict.
At least five pupils at a village school in the West Bank have been killed in the last year by settlers and soldiers. Emma Graham-Harrison reports on how the school found itself on the frontline, while a teacher explains what life is like for staff and students.Waheed Abu Naim is an English teacher at the Al Mughayyir boys’ school in a village in the West Bank. He loves his job, he says. “I am happy to be a teacher. Although we don’t get lots of money, because my students, especially in the morning, wait for me when I enter the school to shake hands, to smile at me while going inside their classes. So it’s a happy life.”But the last year has been anything but happy for Waheed. His village is now surrounded by settlers, while the military has blocked off every road except one, which has a checkpoint on it. Teachers who live in neighbouring villages cannot always come to work. But worse are the attacks on the village by settlers. Continue reading...
