Al-Mughayyir’s public secondary school has reinforced its grounds to protect students from attacks, after five teenagers from the village were killed by Israeli settlers during the previous academic year. One was killed at the school gates, according to the report.
Teachers used the summer break to add metal fencing above the schoolyard walls, install a stronger gate and build a wall to shield classrooms from a nearby hilltop where a settler had shot dead two people, including a student. Staff also developed emergency plans and taught pupils how to avoid confrontations.
The changes were intended to reassure parents, who had to be persuaded to send their children back to school. “The school’s aim is that when the children enter the school, and when they go home, they are protected,” said principal Bassam Abu Assaf.
The school sits at the edge of al-Mughayyir, a town of about 3,000 people north-east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Residents describe regular settler raids and say Israeli military checkpoints can keep people from entering or leaving for hours. The school’s location near the village entrance leaves it particularly exposed, with raids taking place around its grounds.
The disruptions have affected both staffing and lessons. About 80% of the school’s staff live outside the village and can be blocked from reaching it by checkpoints. Classes take place only three days a week and finish early to help teachers avoid afternoon road closures. On one occasion, teargas fired by the Israeli army near the school drifted into classrooms.
Teachers say the threat also makes it difficult for pupils to focus. Waheed Abu Naim, a teacher whose brother was killed in a settler attack outside the school last April, said students often worry about whether settlers or soldiers are nearby. He said the resulting loss of concentration has widened educational gaps.
The village mayor, Ameen Abu Alia, said the number of settler outposts near al-Mughayyir had risen from one in 2023 to 12. He described attacks and restrictions as part of a pressure campaign against residents. The Israeli military said it entered the village during one incident to provide security for an Israeli civilian and police retrieving livestock, and that it fired on “key instigators” after Palestinians threw stones at soldiers.
Despite the precautions, the school’s staff say they are determined to continue teaching. “There is a plan of displacement. But we will raise another educated generation regardless,” Abu Naim said.
Sources: The Guardian Education.