Case Study on education continuity in fragile settings. TESI: Keeping Gaza’s University students connected to learning against all odds
What do you do when your university no longer exists? When your campus is damaged, your records are gone, and even the online platforms you once relied on have collapsed? When Gaza’s higher education system fell under the weight of destruction, displacement, and the loss of digital infrastructure, more than 90,000 university students suddenly found themselves cut off from their studies. Campuses were damaged, online platforms went dark, and entire academic records became inaccessible. Yet even in this environment, thousands of young people refused to give up on their education.
This is where the TESI initiative, launched in February 2024, stepped in with an alternative path. Instead of letting higher education grind to a halt, TESI created a remote bridge between Gaza’s students and An‑Najah National University in the West Bank. Through this initiative, students could:
- Re‑enrol in accredited online courses with no fees
- Study through live and recorded sessions on Moodle
- Receive grades transferred back to their home universities
- Access volunteer lecturers from 81 institutions and 69 individual academics worldwide
- Stay connected to academic life, even while displaced
The response from students was overwhelming: 40,000+ Gazan students expressed interest, 7,500+ received registration numbers, 1,606 completed assignments and earned grades in the pilot phases, 173 courses offered in the pilot, 242 courses were offered in Phase 1.
TESI is powered by a remarkable network of volunteers and institutions: 69 individual academics offered their time and expertise, 81 universities and organisations expressed interest in teaching, with An‑Najah University coordinating course delivery, guidance sessions, and academic quality and UNIMED supporting international outreach and alignment with higher‑education standard.
In terms of challenges, TESI had to adapt constantly to internet blackouts, electricity cuts, displacement of students, difficulty contacting learners, differences in curricula between Gaza and West Bank universities, and limited funding and reliance on volunteers. Yet the programme kept going, because students kept showing up.
TESI proves that even when physical campuses are destroyed, higher education doesn’t have to stop. It shows what’s possible when universities collaborate, when volunteers mobilise, and when students hold on to their ambitions despite everything around them collapsing. TESI’s impact goes beyond coursework. It restores a sense of continuity, dignity, and possibility for young people whose futures have been violently interrupted. With stronger cooperation, more flexible teaching tools, and support for connectivity and devices, TESI can continue to grow — and help rebuild the foundations of higher education for Gaza’s next generation.
Case submitted by UNIMED. Please refer to the official website of TESI for useful information
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