Palestine: School Graduation In Gaza · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

The tawjihi is the general secondary examination in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan, and it determines a student's choice of university and major. The fact that this year the exams were held simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza was hailed as a sign of national unity. In this post, we hear the reaction of bloggers in Gaza to the tawjihi results.
On average only half the students who sit the tawjihi actually pass. Tawjihi results are announced in the media, and public celebrations are held for those who pass. Each year the highest scorer – this year an honour held by Tala Al-Battia of Nablus – becomes a celebrity. Jawwal, the Palestinian mobile phone service provider, is the “accredited sponsor” of the tawjihi exams, and ran a competition this year called “Guess Your Tawjihi Result and Win Thousands of Dollars”. However, for the families of teenagers killed in the attacks on Gaza earlier this year, this is a time of sadness – and to commemorate the students, the Hamas government presented honorary tawjihi certificates.
At the Electronic Intifada, Rami Almeghari reported on the determination of Gaza's students to study for their exams, regardless of circumstances. One student, Abeer Abu Shawish, told him:
“Prior to the war in late December 2008, I had a plan for studying for the tawjihi. One day, in the middle of the war, I heard shelling nearby at 11:00pm. However, I took a long deep breath and continued my studies. Although I was extremely upset by the Israeli attacks from air, sea and land, I told myself that I must succeed in order to fight the Israeli occupation with my own way, education!”
The stress of the exams is clear in a post by student Ghost of Palestine called “The results are out”:
Mutasharrid has just passed, with a score of 91.9:
Hazem says:
In a joint post, Nazek Abu Rahma and Hanadi Al Qawasmi write: