Gaza’s university students drop out at an accelerating rate

The coronavirus pandemic and two lockdowns are threatening to increase university dropout rates sharply in the Gaza Strip even as classes resumed in August, writes Asma' Jawabreh for Al-Fanar Media.

According to a new report by the charity Refugees International, many students have not paid tuition for the forthcoming academic year, indicating they may not return. “Thirty percent of students dropped out this semester, and only 10 percent paid the full tuition fees,” one university vice president in Gaza told researchers.

While it is too early for concrete data, anecdotal evidence and interviews with university officials, students and researchers point to a decline in enrolment due to the two lockdowns and deteriorating economic conditions in Gaza, accelerating a drop-out trend over the past few years.
Full report on the Al-Fanar Media site