Record number of attacks on education, global fund warns

According to Education Can’t WaitGlobal funding, insecurity and other factors cause 258 million children in 87 countries to face severe learning disabilities.

Marking International Day to Protect Education from Attackthe fund cited a backdrop of “escalating conflict, waning self-control and eroding global norms” in some regions.

Easy prey for human traffickers

“When a child does not go to school for years, the consequences are immediate and profound: this means forgotten reading skills, loss of routine, and so on. the future is determined by recruiters or traffickers, not by teachers,” said Maysa Jalbout, Education Director of Cannot Wait, a global fund for education.

According to a report partnering with the fund, attacks on education and the use of schools for armed conflict reached record highs in 2024 and 2025. The number of students and staff killed, injured, kidnapped or otherwise harmed has also never been higher.

In 28 of the countries profiled, education was the target of attacks, or schools and universities were used for military purposes.

Overall, there were at least 9,259 attacks on education (including more than 3,600 attacks on schools), representing an increase of more than 50 percent compared to 2022-2023.

Additionally, more than 10,600 students and educators were killed, injured or kidnapped, while military use of schools nearly doubled.

“Education in emergencies is about more than just keeping children in school. It’s about protecting those at their most vulnerable: offering security, stability, a sense of normalcy and a path to a future after the crisis,” said Cannot Wait’s Head of Education, Ms Jalbout.

The laws of war must be respected

UNESCOThe United Nations educational and cultural agency stressed the obligation of all parties to a conflict to respect international law and prevent education from attack.

The agency noted that nearly eight in 10 out-of-school and crisis-affected children – about 74 million – live in just 20 countries. In this situation, the greatest barriers to learning are experienced by the most vulnerable groups: 74 percent of refugee children, 52 percent of internally displaced children and 45 percent of children with disabilities are not in school.

Children are in danger

Latest UN data regarding children caught up in conflict shows that 24,174 children were affected by 2025, from 38,558 verified violations.

Murder and maiming is one of the most widespread violations and affects 14,224 children. Young people are also recruited and used in conflicts, kidnapped and denied humanitarian assistance, according to the report UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict.

The report highlights how fighting is increasingly occurring in densely populated areas, leaving children vulnerable to air strikes, artillery and explosive drones. Homes, schools, hospitals and other civil infrastructure were damaged or destroyed, while children faced danger fleeing violence or seeking food, water and medical care.

The highest number of serious violations occurred in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar and Somalia.

For the first timeGovernment forces were responsible for the majority of verified serious violations.

The UN and its many partners firmly believe that education protects children in crisis from harm, while giving them the skills to rebuild their communities in the future.

Education Can’t Wait Hope Starts Here The campaign seeks $600 million to ensure that 10 million children “in the world’s most difficult countries” can access safe, quality education.