In a small spot located in one of the Bedouin communities inhabited by the Arabs of Al-Jahaleen tribe at the outskirts of Jerusalem the Arab of Al-Jahaleen Primary School for Boys and Girls is located facing the Israeli occupation policies plans and court orders against the area.
The school is made of nine classrooms attended by 170 students with nearly 15 female teachers; most of them are from the towns of Alizaryia Anata Ramallah and Abu Dis.
According to Eid Khamis Al-Jahaleen the head of the tribe the school was built in 2009 and serves five Bedouin communities whose students used to study at Alizaryia and Jericho schools with what that entails of cost and danger that most families cannot afford.
He added that some kids used to go to their schools on foot and some of them where ran over by cars while crossing main roads. Israeli settlers have also assaulted high school students on their way to school.
Al-Jahaleen mentioned that a full curriculum has been taught at the school despite the lack of facilities and needed materials as the school only had 13 computers and lacked a science laboratory and a playground. He pointed out that many teachers asked for transfer to other schools because the school is located far away from places of residence.
Despite the lack of facilities Al-Jahaleen is proud that one of the students won a literary award and was given a big reward despite the tough conditions she had gone through.
The issue of the school being located in area C of the West Bank is being deliberated at Israeli courts and is awaiting a resolution by the Israeli Supreme Court.
Student Nisreen Eid Khamis told the PIC reporter that the school begins at 8:00 AM in the morning and ends at 12:00 AM noting that the school is near her family’s house yet it is so far for some of the students. She noted that the total number of students attending her class is 20.
The people of the Arabs of Al-Jahaleen hope that the educational situation at their place would get better and that other schools would be built. They also hope that more teaching classes would be made available in the future and not just up to the 9th class so that students could continue their high school education in the same area.
They also hope that clinics would be built so that they could have access to medical care which is their right as they stress a right they don’t enjoy.
