Education under Attack – When Schools Become Targets

Two million Syrian children out of school

Syria is one of the countries that has been hit the hardest by attacks on education. Between 2011 and 2015, more than half of the registered attacks on schools in the world took place in Syria.

A World Bank report published in July 2017 found that the Syrian conflict has led to the partial destruction of more than half of the country’s schools, and one in ten schools are completely levelled by acts of war.

In addition, many schools are being used as refugee reception centres. Every third reception centre in Syria is a former school. A new study including children in 171 centres shows that only one in three children attend school.

Before the conflict, 97 percent of Syrian children attended primary school and 67 percent attended middle school.

An attack on education

In countries ravaged by violence, war and conflict, an increasing number of schools are turned into political battlefields or used for military purposes.

“Teaching and learning is becoming more and more dangerous, and students, teachers and academics are to a growing extent risking their lives,” said Diya Nijhowne, executive director of Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) in a press release.

The situation is alarming

So far, 78 countries have signed a declaration for safer schools, an initiative led by Norway and Argentina. The declaration commits countries to contribute to protecting educational institutions and help avoid these being used for military purposes.

Nevertheless, the report from the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack shows that the problem is escalating.

“Attacks on schools and students are attacks on the future of a country. Not only do these attacks destroy children’s opportunity to learn and develop, but it can also cause psychosocial problems,” says Annelies Ollieuz, Global Education Manager at NRC.