Lebanese children trickle back to “Israeli”-ravaged schools

Source: AFP, 9 October 2006
By Sylvie Groult
BEIRUT-- Around half of Lebanese children return to school this week after a war that killed hundreds of youngsters, reduced classrooms to rubble and transformed many others into temporary refugee camps.
Only private schools are expected to open on Monday, with public schools delayed another week by the overwhelming tasks of reconstruction and repair, particularly in villages that bore the brunt of the "Israeli" assault during its month-long conflict with Hizbullah.
For the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese students who do start school on Monday, the first day back may not be easy.
Dozens of schools were flattened in the predominantly Shiite regions in the south of the country during the 34-day conflict.
"Israeli" artillery pounded southern Lebanon and Beirut`s southern suburbs in a bid to force out the occupation-resistance fighters, killing around 1,200 Lebanese civilians -- one third of those killed were children under 12 -- and destroying massive numbers of homes, apartments, businesses, bridges and schools.
The UN children`s agency UNICEF has said the government faces a "massive challenge" when it comes to getting ready for school after the assault.
The Lebanese government estimates that around 50 schools were entirely destroyed and 300 sustained major damage during the July 12-August 14 war, preceded by Hizbullah seizure of two "Israeli" soldiers is a cross-border raid.
Many of the schools that were hit by "Israeli" fire but remained standing were nevertheless rendered unusable by heavy debris in classrooms and irreparable damage to furniture and supplies.
Schools were supposed to open in mid to late September, but the date was postponed to allow time for repair work. Now private school students are to begin returning on October 9 and public school students on October 16.
Some schools will have to take turns hosting two groups of classes in the same day. Some children will be unable to go to school in their own villages and will have to be bussed to a nearby location where a school remains standing.
UNICEF has been distributing school bags, notebooks, pencils and other supplies in a campaign aimed at helping 350,000 to 400,000 public school students and 150 schools.
"The aim of the back-to-school campaign is to have 350,000 children back to school on October 18," said a statement by Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF`s emergency operations coordinator in Lebanon.
But the psychological health of the children is also a keyconcern for UNICEF, which has aimed to educate teachers in recognizing signs of trauma in the most vulnerable children and responding to their needs.
Going back to school "is not only important for the education of these children, but it will also bring back into their lives some kind of normalcy," Duamelle said.
For young survivors of war, "it`s a way for them to cope with and recover from the traumas they have experienced."
Nearly one million children are enrolled private and public schools in Lebanon, which has one of the highest literacy rates in the Middle East.
Lebanon has estimated that it needs 70 million dollars to rebuild its education system after the war.
The money is needed for "reconstruction and repair of schools, the purchase of school furniture and for training teachers to handle traumatized students," Education Minister Khaled Kabbani said.
Kabbani announced the delay for public school students on Sunday, vowing that the government was working hard to make sure "each student has a place" and that "all students will be at their desks by October 16."
Kabbani also said, while on a visit to Khiam which was the scene of heavy fighting between Hizbullah guerrillas and "Israeli" forces, "we have to overcome a number of challenges to rebuild and repair the schools."
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have volunteered to help Lebanon`s schooling needs, with the oil-rich Saudi kingdom offering to pay public school fees for all those enrolled in 2006-2007 at a cost of around 25 million dollars.
Qatar has begun fixing up schools in eight villages it has chosen to sponsor, with the goal of opening 16 schools by October 18. The UAE is also helping repair work in 18 villages and is buying books for 400,000 students.
The World Bank has set aside 12 million dollars to help Lebanese schools return to fully functioning institutions of learning.
In addition to repair work, many schools have required cleaning and general upkeep after being transformed into temporary shelters for around 150,000 people who were displaced during the war.