MIDDLE EAST - A pilot project to resume in-person university education has started in a displacement area in southern Gaza, aiming to restore academic activity after prolonged disruption caused by war.

The “university campus” has been set up in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, offering students a chance to return to face-to-face learning after more than two years of relying on online education.

At the site entrance, students showed clear signs of joy, with many saying it felt like their first real university experience.

One student said that entering a classroom was an exceptional moment that restored her sense of belonging to university life, away from screens and the difficult conditions of the war, according to Al Jazeera Net.

The project, established on an area of about three dunams within displacement camps, was launched by the organisation Scholars Without Borders.

Seven classrooms have been set up using simple structures, providing a basic learning environment with electricity, internet access, desks and teaching boards.

Students from the Islamic University took part in the first day of the trial run. The classrooms are expected to be opened later to students from other universities through a coordinated schedule, in an effort to expand access to the initiative.