BEIRUT, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- For 21-year-old university student Reine Nasrallah, the start of a new academic year is marked by concerns about how to reach her university and cover the cost of daily transportation, rather than the usual excitement of reuniting with familiar classmates and professors.
After the Israel-Hezbollah war forced her family to flee their home in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, Nasrallah transferred to the Lebanese University's Hadath campus near Beirut, while she and her mother moved into a rented home in the Chouf District.
"The war turned my life upside down," Nasrallah told Xinhua. "We left our home in a hurry after it was destroyed. We could not even take our clothes or belongings with us."
Life in displacement is difficult. The family now pays about 500 U.S. dollars a month to rent the apartment in Chouf, while Nasrallah spends about 20 dollars a day commuting to and from the university, according to her mother, Rana.
"Some days, we simply can't afford the cost of getting to university," Nasrallah said.
For Nasrallah, an even greater challenge has been keeping up with her studies amid the conflict. She said the disruption has prevented her from meeting academic requirements on schedule. She has also developed vision problems, frequent headaches and dizziness.
"My mother had to sell a piece of her jewelry to cover my medical treatment and some of my education expenses," Nasrallah said.
Nasrallah's experience reflects the hardships faced by many students from war zones in Lebanon, as they prepare to start another academic year amid continued uncertainty.
A nationwide assessment conducted by Lebanon's Ministry of Education and Higher Education in June found that 340 public, private, and technical and vocational schools had been damaged during the war, including 17 that were completely destroyed.
The damage affected several governorates, including Nabatieh and South Lebanon. The UN Children's Fund warned in July that at least 100,000 children could be left without a classroom when the new school year begins unless urgent repairs are carried out before September.
Even for students who are able to return to campus, the challenges of learning do not go away. With Israel still carrying out occasional strikes in southern Lebanon, the sounds of explosions and drones continue to weigh heavily on the students, creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety that can disrupt learning.
"Studying while hearing the sounds of drones, airstrikes, and artillery shelling, and after losing relatives and loved ones, makes it difficult for students to concentrate," Hassan Jaber, a professor from Lebanese University, told Xinhua.
Such conditions, he added, directly affect academic performance and increase the pressures students face both inside and outside the classroom.
Psychologist Amani Hamdan said the effects could linger long after the conflict ends.
"The living, economic, and security conditions experienced by students have created high levels of anxiety and stress," Hamdan told Xinhua, adding that many have lost the sense of stability needed to concentrate and learn.
Displacement, the loss of homes, financial pressure, and fear of renewed strikes can affect students' mental health, she said.
Hamdan called for psychological support and counseling in schools, as well as academic accommodations for affected students, including greater flexibility in examinations when necessary.
With the new academic year approaching, Rana has once again parted with a pair of earrings she treasured for years to help pay her daughter Nasrallah's tuition. Life goes on, but the end of the war remains a distant prospect.
"I don't know how much longer I can hold on," she murmured. ■
