The Excellence Center after the Covid-Crisis: Empty classrooms, a stove that hasn’t been used for months, dust on the furniture, lights that haven’t been turned on for some time… the Excellence Center in Palestine was closed for nearly two years during the Covid crisis. No foreigner came to Hebron and the teachers at the center had to find other ways to make a living. Luckily, the center reopened and the number of volunteers that circulate in its vicinities is higher than ever. In this article we asked Palestinians at the center what they missed the most when the center was closed, and what has changed.

FEAR

Like many peoples around the world, Palestinians were scared about corona. ‘People did not go out much, the shops were closed, people wore face masks, many old people died,’ Khitam explains. Because all the schools and universities were closed, and the demand for online classes was not particularly high, all educational centers around Palestine had to close. The Excellence Center in Hebron was closed for more than 1,5 years.

QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Today, the traces of the corona crisis are hard to find. Face masks have disappeared from streetlife. The center is as vibrant as it used to be before the crisis. Something that has changed, according to English teacher Isaac, is the number of Palestinian children who come to have classes at the center.

‘We witnessed a decrease in the number of children who come here for conversational classes, and an increase in the number of children who come for refreshment classes that we give a day before they have their exams,’ Isaac says. ‘This is because the quality of education deteriorated during corona, and students now focus on what they need to do to get their exams. Hopefully in the summer they will have time to practice educational skills too.’

NON-TEACHING PROGRAMS

Another thing that changed in comparison to the time before corona is that the volunteer programs who do not revolve around teaching, such as the human rights program, women’s rights program, and journalism internship, have become more popular.

‘We started to focus on them more. Some people do not enjoy teaching but mainly want to get information about the situation here. For them these programs are very suitable. We had them before, but we keep improving them and we see the volunteers are happy with these programs,’ Osama, who runs the center, says.

MORE FOREIGNERS

When it comes to foreigners, there are more foreigners than ever before, Marwa proudly remarks. What Khitam and Marwa both missed the most when the center was closed is talking with the foreigners.

‘Seeing them bonding with each other and with the Palestinians at the center makes me happy; to see people from all over the world together, having a good time, learning from each other,’ Khitam says.

EMPTY

Isaac confirms this: ‘From one day to the other, the center was empty. The kitchen, where usually a whole group of foreigners and Palestinians would have breakfast, was suddenly empty. I missed talking with the foreigners a lot. They teach us about other cultures, and we teach them about life in Palestine. We become friends, and this is so valuable to me.’

COFFEE 

Although Isaac could teach some private English classes at the center during the crisis, for groups it was closed. Doha, who normally teaches Arabic at the center, now followed language courses online, to improve her Turkish and Arabic.

‘This was helpful, but I missed the social interactions at the center a lot,’ she says. ‘Especially the coffee in the morning with the students I teach private Arabic classes. At eight in the morning, we make coffee in the kitchen and drink it outside in the shadow. As soon as the sun reaches the terrace, we go inside and have the class.’

HAPPY

Osama had to work in a nuts shop during the crisis to make sure he could sustain his family. ‘Every month we would think: the next month it will be over, and everything will be normal. But then it took more than 1,5 years,’ he recalls.

Osama is happy the center is running again: ‘What makes me the happiest is to see volunteers who come here to learn and think about Palestine. They live with the Palestinian people and immerse themselves in the life. We are especially happy if they go home with good reviews and talk about the Palestinian issue at home. Some people in the world do not know anything about the situation here, so for us the volunteers are the messengers, and we value them a lot.’

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

During the covid-crisis, the Excellence Center – just like any educational institution in Palestine – closed. Apart from a few private English classes that were taught, the centre was empty for more than 1,5 years. Before the crisis many foreigners and Palestinian students swarmed around the Excellence Center and talked with each other in Arabic or English, about the life in Palestine or abroad.

Fortunately, the center is running again, and more foreigners than ever come to volunteer and learn Arabic. The Palestinian teachers at the center have long awaited this moment. They missed the social interaction a lot. Moreover, one of the main goals for the Excellence Center is to spread the word about the occupation of Palestine in the rest of the world, and finally foreigners can travel to Palestine again and see the situation with their own eyes.

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