A Canadian non-profit organization called Palestine Students and Scholars At Risk (PSSAR) is helping Palestinian students and scholars worldwide pursue post-secondary opportunities in Canada. The organization was established in 2024 by professionals and academics after six months of military assault from Israel where at least 60 per cent of educational facilities, including 13 public libraries, were damaged or destroyed and at least 625,000 students were left without an academic institution to attend.
Hiba Abu Kamal, a Palestinian student who participated in the PSSAR program and was accepted into the urban planning program at McGill University, said the organization offered her programs that helped connect students in Gaza with professors in Canada. The organization also helped her submit her university and student visa applications.
Ayman Oweida, a professor from the faculty of medicine and health sciences at Université of Sherbrooke and director of PSSAR, explained how the application process works in their organization.
Students from Palestine fill out an application form and upload their cover letter, transcripts, and a recording of their field of study and English proficiency to the PSSAR website. After receiving the application, the organization will use their database to match students with different university professors across Canada and ask if the professors are interested in hosting a student. If they find a match, PSSAR will arrange an interview. Then, a volunteer from the organization will fill out a university admission application for the Palestinian student since there is no stable internet connection in Gaza.
Once a student gets accepted, PSSAR will work with the student to complete their visa with the Canadian government.
“We saw PSSAR as an opportunity for students in Gaza who want to pursue higher education outside of Gaza,” said Oweida. “This is an opportunity to bring great minds here, where they not only receive an education but have opportunities to give back to Canadian society in various ways.”
One of the main hurdles to coming to Canada through the PSSAR program is the war zones. The border is completely blocked off and the citizens in Gaza cannot leave. Oweida hopes that the border will open one day and students in Gaza can flee to Egypt, where they can apply for a visa through a Canadian embassy.
To rectify this, PSSAR communicated with the minister of immigration in Canada, making visa processing faster for students supported by PSSAR. Another significant hurdle for the Palestinian students who arrive in Canada is their lack of possessions and families they can contact here to receive support and resources. This is a significant challenge for PSSAR due to their limited resources. They are using most of their funds to help Palestinian students enter Canada but hope to receive more support and resources from the Canadian government.
“We are working with an audience that we hope can support community organizations and are willing to support the cause of education. So, we need finances to keep our own,” said Oweida.
Education is a high priority for families residing in Gaza, with 95.4 per cent of children enrolled from elementary to high school. Despite the high enrollment rates at various schools, younger generations, such as young adolescent boys and children with disabilities, are facing challenges in gaining access to education.
According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), an agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children across the globe, it was revealed that by the age of 15, nearly 25 per cent of boys and seven per cent of girls dropped out of school, while 22.5 per cent of boys and 30 per cent of girls who are between six to15 years old with a disability never enrolled in the school system. The lack of school enrollment is causing the youth unemployment rates to reach 40 per cent in the West Bank and 62 per cent in Gaza.
The genocide in Gaza is so severe that close to half a million children require humanitarian assistance to receive an education. The conflict and violent episodes in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the closure of the Gaza Strip and physical access restrictions are causing daily challenges and threats for children attending school in the area. This war is also causing emotional distress, fear and intimidation for children in high-risk locations where they must pass through checkpoints or walk by settlements.
On April 18, UN experts expressed grave concern for the attack patterns on schools, universities, teachers and students in the Gaza Strip. They raised alarms over the systematic destruction of the Palestinian education system after 80 per cent of schools in Gaza became damaged or destroyed in what the UN experts called, “scholasticide.” Scholasticide refers to the systemic obliteration of education systems through the arrest, detention or killing of teachers, students and staff. It also includes the destruction of institutionalized buildings.
Abu Kamal said the genocide not only scared children from attending schools, but also harmed educational systems physically. “There’s no education there at all now. That’s why it’s a challenge.” said Abu Kamal.
Oweida said that what Israel is doing in Gaza can never be justified and that attacks on schools, hospitals and major institutions are happening for no specific or credible reason.
“What they’re doing is a war crime. It’s a war crime to demolish schools and hospitals,” said Oweida.
Through initiatives such as the PSSAR, Palestinian students can gain access to education and pursue their careers and ambitions.
“PSSAR has a great working staff. They are determined to help the Palestinian students and give them opportunities to continue their education,” said Abu Kamal. “They are noble in raising the educational level of the Palestinians and helping them come here to continue their education so they can go back in the future and change the educational system back home.”
