UNESCO’s ‘The Crossing’ Exposes the Rising Toll of Attacks on Schools

UNESCO’s Plan of Action to Protect Education from Attack, adopted by its Executive Board earlier in 2026, sets out measures covering preparedness, emergency response and recovery.

UNESCO and Education Above All Foundation have unveiled "The Crossing," a temporary installation that turns the growing number of attacks on schools into a striking public reminder of what children and teachers face during armed conflict. Presented at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 9 September in coordination with the Permanent Delegation of Qatar, the installation marked the seventh International Day to Protect Education from Attack, observed this year under the theme "Can education survive attack? The resilience of human communities."

A pedestrian crossing shaped by years of violence

Built in the form of a pedestrian crossing on the UNESCO Piazza, the installation uses each stripe to represent a year, while the length of each stripe reflects the number of attacks on schools verified by the United Nations. The concept draws on a familiar symbol of safety: a crossing that should allow people to reach the other side without fear. For millions of children living in conflict zones, that basic sense of protection disappears when the journey to school, the classroom itself or the presence of a teacher can carry life-threatening risks.

A total of 1,680 attacks on schools were verified in 2025, representing a 33 per cent increase from the previous year. Dr Nasser Bin Hamad Al Hinzab, Chairperson of UNESCO's Executive Board, said every number represents learners and teachers whose safety and right to education are at risk. By placing the data in a public space used by diplomats, policymakers and visitors, "The Crossing" asks people to see the human lives behind the statistics.

Protection must begin before classrooms are destroyed

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany warned that the sharp rise in attacks is taking away children's safety, education and hope, stressing that schools and universities must remain protected at all times. He urged parties involved in conflict to respect international law and allow education to continue in safety and dignity. UNESCO's Plan of Action to Protect Education from Attack, adopted by its Executive Board earlier in 2026, sets out measures covering preparedness, emergency response and recovery.

Mohammed Al-Kubaisi, Chief Executive Officer of Education Above All Foundation, said education can survive violence only when systems are designed to withstand crises. Protection cannot start after a school has already been damaged or children have been displaced. It must include secure routes to learning spaces, emergency education options, psychosocial care, planning and accountability for attacks against students, teachers and educational institutions.

Communities keep learning alive under immense pressure

UNESCO and its partners are supporting education in several crisis-affected countries through responses shaped around local needs. Their work includes protective shelters for schools in Ukraine, mental health and psychosocial support for displaced children in Lebanon, temporary learning spaces and the Gaza Virtual Campus for students in Gaza, stronger community schools in Haiti and early warning mechanisms in Nigeria. Programmes in Syria are building teachers' professional skills and school management capacity, while work in Yemen is improving education data, planning and learning assessments.

These efforts show that communities can keep education alive even when classrooms close, and ordinary routines collapse. That resilience should never be treated as permission for attacks to continue or as a replacement for meaningful protection. Every child has the right to learn in a safe environment, and every teacher should be able to enter a classroom without becoming a target.