Funding from Norway will help attract additional funds for immediate education response and longer-term needs
WASHINGTON D.C./OSLO, December 7, 2023 - Norway has generously contributed 32.4 million Norwegian Kroner (nearly US$3 million) to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) sub-account for the West Bank and Gaza, to address urgent education needs and help children get back to learning as soon as conditions allow.
The war in Gaza and an upsurge in violence in the West Bank has taken a horrific toll on children and their education. Thousands of children and their families have been displaced since the start of hostilities in early October. Over 6,150 children have reportedly been killed in Gaza and over 60 in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education, over 3,318 students have been killed and 5,567 injured while 195 teachers and administrative staff had been killed and 493 injured.
Schools have also borne the brunt of the destruction and displacement. More than 322 schools have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza. Around 86% of total school buildings are either sheltering displaced Palestinians or have sustained damage. This will constitute an additional challenge to resume education when security condition allows, as many schools will need rehabilitation, and are likely to continue sheltering displaced families who have lost their homes. In the West Bank, around 200 schools are nonoperational due to movement restrictions, violence, and fear of harassment en route to and from school.
This has resulted in a tremendous blow to children’s education. As of 13 November, more than 625,000 students and 22,564 teachers in Gaza had been affected by school closures and attacks, with no access to education and safety. These staggering numbers are likely to have risen.
Despite its countless benefits to children, their families and communities, education is often the first service to be suspended and the last to be restored during crises. On average, education receives less than 3% of humanitarian aid.
“The past few months, Palestinian children have been through horrors beyond imagination, and they desperately need for the violence to stop and access to humanitarian aid. Education is an essential part of crisis response. I am glad that Norway’s contribution to the Global Partnership for Education’s important work on the West Bank and in Gaza will help children get back to learning as soon as possible and provide them with urgently needed psychosocial support,” said Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim.
Based on latest UN Flash Appeal, $114.5 million are required for the education sector to help 530,000 children and teachers in the West Bank and Gaza. With initial support of $1.2 million from Ireland, GPE has been engaging with partners including Irish Aid (coordinating agency), the Palestinian Authority, the Education Sector Working Group and Education Cannot Wait (ECW) on mobilizing additional funds for children in the West Bank and Gaza, including through the GPE Multiplier.
The GPE Multiplier is an innovative financing tool designed to crowd in funding to education from additional donors by matching $1 in GPE Multiplier funds for every $ 3 in funding from bilateral donors.
“We need to urgently address the harrowing impact of the conflict on children’s education and move education higher in the list of priorities for crisis response,” said Laura Frigenti, GPE Chief Executive Officer. “With this generous contribution, Norway has helped pave the way for other international partners to put education at the heart of their response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza to help children cope, recover and resume their education.”
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Notes to editors
The West Bank and Gaza is eligible for a US$15 million GPE Multiplier grant. West Bank and Gaza is also eligible to receive system capacity grant of US$1.6 million and support for education civil society advocacy.
About the Global Partnership for Education
GPE is a shared commitment to ending the world’s learning crisis. We mobilize partners and funds to support nearly 90 lower-income countries to transform their education systems so that every girl and boy can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better world.
Media contact
Tamara Kummer, GPE Head of Communications
Tel: +1 202 948 5395