22 October 2018
In Gaza, the Science-based Professional Development Track of the Educational Research and Development Programme (ERDP) is implementing two projects on fish, maritime wealth, and fishing. This activity involves teacher Wafa’ Rantisi with a group of her students from the Al-Fakhari Girls Preparatory School in Khan Yunis, and teacher Nadera Samak with a group of her students from the Al-Rimal Girls Preparatory School C in Gaza.
The teachers and students chose this subject in view of the importance of fisheries as a natural food supply for society as well as the nature of the coastal environment in the Gaza Strip. They decided that this would be their core contribution to the Science Days Palestine (SDP) 2018 Festival. With its theme Food Revolution 2050, the SDP 2018 Festival addresses dimensions of the food crisis, which experts anticipate to take place by 2050. As the earth’s population will increase by 2.5 billion, food will not be sufficient for peoples of the planet.
In their research, teacher Rantisi and her students noticed that students and their families were unwilling to have or buy fish. Having carried out an investigation in their local community, they found out some causes of this problem, including high prices of fish, overfishing, and significant reliance on agricultural products. In Khan Yunis, students also cited the problem of distant residential areas from the coast and lack of awareness about the importance of this food supply. As a result, the teacher and students were prompted to think of making a fish farm basin at school. They used it as a model to demonstrate to the school students and parents that solutions to the food problem primarily come from community natural resources, needs and challenges.
Both teachers and their students visited fish stores, such as the fish market in Gaza and Fish Fresh stores in Khan Yunis. They met with a number of fishermen and learned about their lives and the difficulties they face at work. The teachers and students prepared questions based on their research on fishing, types of fish, and conditions of the coastal environment. They also explored the species of fish suitable for farming, including required preparations, efforts, and time periods. They developed research reports in order share them with parents and the local community.
Students learned a lot about fish. Together with her students, teacher Rantisi developed a plan, where each student monitors a particular type of fish. Every student conducts research about that type of fish from multiple perspectives and using different methods, including interviews, questionnaires, and visits to relevant community centres. Students would then share the information they collect about fish, seasons, benefits, and journey from the sea to their tables.
Students also participated in workshops held with specialists, including Engineer Nizar al-Wahidi from the Ministry of Agriculture. In these, students learned about the design of fish farms, areas, water pumps, oxygen renewal, monitoring of the egg laying process, and equipment of fish farm basins. Students discussed alternatives for power cuts to fish farms as well as the most suitable types of fish for farming. They concluded that the best type of fish to try to farm at school was tilapia. Then, the teacher and students started a joint research process, involving every student and her father for a period of one week. The process would monitor the market price, specifications, demand, and time period during which tilapias grow. Later, students thought of bringing and farming tilapias in the school’s fish farm basin. They monitored these fish on a daily basis, provided natural nutrition, took notes about the shape and size of the fish, monitored fungi, and measured water temperature. Other students proposed to experiment putting duck manure in the basin and see if worms could grow. Perhaps these can help feed the fish! “What if the fish died?” The teacher asked. “Even if they die, we would have tangible experience and have a better understanding of the subject.” The students answered.
In Khan Yunis, students are now working on developing their fish farming project. They are planning to make it a sustainable project.
Teacher Samak worked with the students, who participated in the Hela Ya Rayyeh [Hey Captain]. During the summer, Samak engaged her students and their families and acquaintances in a research process on fishing, fish, and the life of fishermen. Students looked into possibilities to help fishermen provide sea food to society and confront the upcoming global challenge. The research done by the project students includes experimenting and making an electronic fishing rod, and using land on the coast for agriculture activity, which is also associated with the sea and sand soil. They also made proposals to use seaweeds in food. Students had conversations with fish vendors, workers in the fish industry, and fishermen, took photographs, and recorded video clips. Currently, students are working with their teacher to share the experience they had over the previous stage with the school students to raise awareness about this community issue in Gaza.
About these projects, Ula Badawi, Manager of the ERDP Gaza Office who also monitors project development, said: “This year, we are experimenting and developing the SDP 2018 Festival events by engaging teachers with groups of students in school projects. Every project represents a productive research journey for participants. We work towards empowering teachers to build and develop these projects in partnership with their students so that they can take part in the SDP 2018 Festival. More importantly, these project aim at promoting social engagement, raising community awareness about food problems and revolutions, and devising solutions and alternatives to deal with the challenges that face society. Teachers develop their educational models which deviate from common patterns.”
Stating the reasons for her participation in the project, student Alaa Madhi explained: “In 2050, we will risk famine. Therefore, when we looked for solutions, we have come across fisheries. In particular, fish is inexpensive. We can make fish farms by creating a small fish basin (a small-scale model). In the research process we conducted, we felt we were researchers. We make visits to places outside the school, write reports, and take our own notes. We felt we were a team and that we had a mission and a goal, which we had to accomplish. We happily write and come up with activities which we would like to implement. We create a variety of activities at school. We think like designers. We would make sandwiches of cheap sardines that can be enough for a large and poor family.”
Du’a Masri, a student, added: “Thanks to our beautiful project, we now think, go out on scientific visits, read, do research, take notes, and understand. It is possible that we become scientists. We had a sense of the effort scientists make in their research. Happily, we feel that we can help poor families. We have met with fishermen, who talked about the dangers they face when they fish. They said the occupation has reduced the permissible fishing zone to 9 nautical miles and that they could not sail beyond that area. All types of fish are abundant beyond this fishing zone, however. Therefore, we thought of farming the species of fish, which we cannot access. We will also farm new types of fish. A vet explained to us what diseases could affect fish and how we could be aware of that.”
About her project, teacher Rantisi said: “I am so happy. This is the first time I use this approach, which departs from the typical and traditional teaching methods which we are accustomed with. I went ahead. Now, my love, passion and enthusiasm for the project cannot be described. Even more so, students’ interest in the project has been their priority. At school, teachers are wondering what we are doing research on and what the subject is. I also love how I work on the project and how is move on from imagination back to reality.”
Teacher Samak asserted: “Fish is God’s gift to our people in Gaza. It must be always there on every table. However, fish is not always available. Some people can only have fish once in a while. We wanted to raise public awareness about fisheries, why the people of Gaza are deprived of, and do not benefit from, this wealth, and what obstacles that lie ahead of us. We thought of the solutions and methods which might help us and the fishermen to catch substantial amounts of fish.”
Student Tasnim al-Sindawi explains: “In the Gaza Strip, we suffer from the shortage of food. We have to use fisheries. We live in a coastal area. Even if we were not on the coast, it is possible to make fish farms and process fish. We aim at providing fish at prices that are affordable by people with low incomes.”
Describing her participation in the project, student Dunia Hammoudah said: “It is so nice that I have taken part in this project. During my visit to the fish market, we learned things and facts were had not been aware of. For example, every person in the Gaza Strip should consume a certain amount of fish, which the body needs. Due to restrictions of the occupation and reduced permissible fishing zone, some types of fish have been extinct. This is because fishermen carry out wrong fishing practices, such as overfishing. It is also due to scarce quantities of fish.”