West Bank Schools Cut to Three Days
Sixty thousand students face reduced instruction as the Palestinian Authority struggles to pay teachers amid a $6 billion tax shortfall.
By Amit Chukwu ·
Six hundred thousand students in the West Bank currently attend school for only three days a week. This schedule marks the fourth consecutive year of reduced hours in Palestinian Authority government schools. The cutbacks stem from a financial crisis that has left the PA unable to pay its full workforce.
In al-Malih, a northern Jordan Valley town, resident Mahdi Daraghmeh sends his three children to school on three days. For the remaining two days, the school is closed. His children spend that time on smartphones. Daraghmeh noted that the break in routine causes the kids to forget material they previously learned.
The reduced week results from unpaid or partially paid salaries for over 40,000 public sector teachers. For three years, many staff have received only 50 percent of their regular wages. In September 2026, the Palestinian Finance Ministry announced that employees would be paid for June at a rate of 50 percent of normal salary or 2,000 shekels, whichever amount was higher. The PA attributes the shortfall largely to Israel withholding tax revenues it collects on behalf of Palestinians. President Mahmoud Abbas stated in September that the held amount reached $6 billion.
Educational outcomes appear to reflect the disruption. Program for International Student Assessment data released in September showed that math and science proficiency among Palestinian 15-year-olds fell between 2022 and 2025. Reading scores remained stable. Approximately 9,000 students took the tests. A West Bank principal said international experts view the three-day week as insufficient for maintaining academic standards. He described the trend as a dangerous sign for the future of education.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel reports that curriculum time has shrunk. Arabic language instruction specifically decreased by nearly two-thirds. Private schools remain open five days a week because they charge tuition. One Ramallah parent reported paying 10,000 shekels per child annually for private education. This cost is significantly higher than the free government option but provides a full schedule. A history teacher in Ramallah said her daughter finished first grade without knowing her letters, prompting a move to a private institution.
Movement restrictions complicate attendance in government schools. Since October 2023, checkpoints have made it difficult for students and teachers to reach classes. In Hebron’s Jabari neighborhood, a resident named Aref Jabari described a school located 50 meters from his home. Students can no longer walk there due to closures and a fence. They must drive a three-kilometer detour through a checkpoint. ACRI data indicates attendance in Hebron’s H2 area dropped by 25 percent since October 2023. Many of those students moved to private schools.
Saad Erekat, head of the Palestinian Teachers’ Union, linked the return to a full school week to the restoration of full salaries. He told PA television in September that the shortened week is an arrangement between the PA and teachers. Reut Shaer, an attorney with ACRI, stated that the crisis affects almost everyone in the region. She described the situation as a deficit for the future that is difficult to repair. The PA has not yet published matriculation exam figures for the last two years, though 2023 and 2024 rates matched 2022 levels.
