Gaza Universities Seek Global Support For Virtual Labs, Online Learning

By Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi & Nur Ain Nabilah Rosni

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Gaza universities are seeking international support to develop virtual laboratories and expand online learning after widespread destruction of educational infrastructure disrupted practical training for medical and engineering students.

Gaza University President Prof Hassan AbuJarad said universities were using whatever remained of their buildings to keep classes going, but the loss of laboratories and restrictions on equipment entering Gaza had severely constrained practical learning.

“We call upon sister universities in the world to provide us with the best technology for online education and virtual labs.

“We need virtual labs because the Israelis do not allow laptops or even any kind of equipment to get into Gaza. We want everybody to help us run the online programme so that our teachers and students at all levels get what they need from education,” he said during a live interview from his displacement tent on Bernama TV’s Bernama World programme.

AbuJarad said greater access to digital technology would allow lecturers to continue teaching and sharing educational materials with students despite the damage to university facilities.

A UNESCO assessment published in November 2025 found that 620 specialised laboratories and facilities across Gaza’s higher education institutions had been destroyed or severely damaged, while 95 per cent of assessed campuses had been affected.

Meanwhile, AbuJarad said broader international assistance was also needed to sustain Gaza’s education sector amid widespread damage and shortages of essential resources.

“We need almost everything to keep us going, and the most important thing is that we need sister countries and communities around the world to stand by our side.

“We are determined to stay in our homeland, we are determined to continue our education, we are determined to fight for our human right to education and be an essential part of this civilisation,” he said.

On Sept. 19, the Palestinian Education and Higher Education Ministry announced the start of the new academic year in the Gaza Strip under exceptional circumstances, following a three-year interruption caused by the conflict.

Around 541,000 students are expected to participate in the new academic year, including about 100,000 enrolled in schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

-- BERNAMA