Teacher No Longer Accepting ‘The Occupation’ As Homework Excuse

“We cannot allow this man to continue to poison the minds of our children.”

Nablus, July 25 – Parents and students at the Yasser Arafat Primary School expressed outrage today that a fourth-grade teacher at the institution now refuses to excuse missed assignments attributed to Israeli military occupation.

Students came home from school yesterday and related that their teacher had issued an ultimatum regarding homework, which reportedly is done infrequently and inadequately, with the poor performance usually blamed on the Occupation. According to the students, as of next week the class, which is in session over the summer to make up for time during the school year lost to violent demonstrations against Israel, must submit its homework in better order.

The parents of all thirty children in the class of Yusuf Ahmad were kept out of school Monday in protest over the teacher’s policy change, which they say undermines the national ethos and promotes normalization with the enemy. A spokesman for the parents told reporters they had sent a letter to the principal of the school and to the Ministry of Education, demanding that Mr. Ahmad either revert to the previous homework policy or resign.

“We cannot allow this man to continue to poison the minds of our children,” warned Jabber Mustaki, whose son is in the class. “We spend years inculcating certain values into our children, and now we face the prospect of them not seeing the Occupation as the root of all evil. It goes against everything we’ve been working for, and against the explicit policies of the Ministry of Education.”

Principal Ali Muhammad said he had received the parents’ letter and would speak to the teacher. “We do not yet have the whole story, and it is possible there has been some miscommunication,” he cautioned. “I understand the parents’ concerns, but we must not jump to conclusions about this episode without hearing Mr. Ahmad’s side of the story.”

If true, the allegations point to a sharp departure from mainstream Palestinian sensibilities – as well as European assumptions. “This is the first time we’re seeing that a Palestinian authority figure of any sort has refused to blame something on the Israeli occupation,” noted European Commission Coordinator for Palestinian Education Projects Lars Andersen. “I am sure the school administrators and relevant Ministry of Education personnel will address this anomaly in due course. European Union funding is aimed at furthering European Union interests, and all parties involved must be vigilant in maintaining adherence to European Union funding guidelines. The response of the school administration and government oversight bodies will determine whether EU funding will be affected.”