Defend Classroom: UNESCO Warns of Rising Attacks on Education

An estimated 258 million children and adolescents have had their education disrupted by crises around the world, including 93 million who are completely out of school.

Schools should offer children safety, friendship and the chance to imagine a future, yet classrooms in many conflict zones are becoming targets of violence, military activity and destruction. On the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, UNESCO warned that 1,680 attacks on schools were recorded worldwide in 2025, marking a 33% rise from the 1,265 verified during the previous year and exposing a growing failure to protect education during war and political instability.

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany described the increase as deeply alarming, stressing that attacks deprive children of safety, learning and hope at the moment they need those things most. He urged every party involved in conflict to protect schools and universities, respect international law and allow students and teachers to continue their work in dignity, even when communities are surrounded by violence.

Millions of Children Are Losing Their Place in the Classroom

An estimated 258 million children and adolescents have had their education disrupted by crises around the world, including 93 million who are completely out of school. Nearly 80% of crisis-affected children outside the classroom, representing around 74 million young people, live in just 20 countries facing the world's most severe emergencies, where damaged buildings, forced displacement, insecurity and poverty make returning to education extremely difficult.

The burden falls hardest on children already facing exclusion, with 74% of refugee children, 52% of internally displaced children and 45% of children with disabilities out of school in crisis settings. Every month away from learning increases the chance that a child may never return, while girls face greater exposure to forced marriage, exploitation, abuse and unpaid domestic responsibilities when education disappears from their daily lives.

The crisis reaches far beyond damaged classrooms. The United Nations verified 38,558 grave violations against children in 2025, affecting 24,174 boys and girls and representing the highest annual figure recorded since the monitoring mandate began. These violations leave children carrying grief, fear and trauma while families struggle to find safe places where education can continue.

UNESCO Supports Learning Across Conflict-Affected Communities

UNESCO is working with partners in more than 20 countries to strengthen emergency preparedness, maintain learning when schools close and help education systems recover after immediate dangers have eased. Its support reflects the different realities communities face, ranging from physical protection and temporary classrooms to psychological care, digital learning and community-based warning systems.

Teachers and schools in Ukraine are receiving support alongside protective shelters, while displaced children in Lebanon are accessing mental health and psychosocial assistance through art and creative activities. Students in Gaza are continuing lessons through temporary learning spaces and the Gaza Virtual Campus, community schools in Haiti are being strengthened, and early warning mechanisms in Nigeria are helping communities respond to threats before children and teachers face greater danger.

UNESCO's Executive Board adopted a new Plan of Action to Protect Education from Attack in April 2026 under the chairmanship of Dr Nasser Bin Hamad Al Hinzab of Qatar. The framework gives the organization and its partners a clearer foundation for preventing attacks, responding to emergencies and rebuilding education systems without losing sight of the individual children whose futures depend on those efforts.

International Law Must Protect Every Classroom

UNESCO is calling on conflict parties to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law, implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2601 and honour the Safe Schools Declaration and the Nairobi Outcome Document. These commitments require more than statements of concern; they demand practical measures that keep military activity away from education facilities, protect teachers and students, investigate violations and preserve access to learning during emergencies.

With support from Qatar, UNESCO and the Education Above All Foundation marked the seventh International Day to Protect Education from Attack by unveiling "The Crossing" at UNESCO Headquarters. The temporary installation draws attention to the mounting attacks on educational institutions and the urgent need to defend every child's right to learn without fearing that a classroom, school journey or university campus could become a place of violence.