Education in Conflict Zones: Ensuring Learning in Times of Crisis
Introduction:
What happens to the dream of a child to become a doctor when their school turns into rubble overnight? This is not a hypothetical situation but the reality of millions living in conflict zones all over the world.
As the world moves towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030, the data from UNICEF states that over 473 million children live in conflict-affected areas,and more than 52 million of them are estimated to be out of school! (UNICEF, 2024).
Education is a human right, a public good, and a responsibility, as stated by UNESCO, but for these children, it is a stolen future!
This article explores one of the most urgent, yet often overlooked, global crises: education in conflict zones. It will examine the devastating impact of conflict on education systems and highlight how women and girls suffer the most. Through real-world examples, data, and possible solutions, we will ask: Can education be safeguarded in times of chaos – and if so, how?
Understanding Conflict Zones and Education
Conflict zones are areas affected by war, armed conflicts and political instability where the basic amenities such as housing, water, transportation, healthcare, etc. are hampered. Since 2021, the number of such zones has increased by nearly two-thirds.Conflict and instability are some of the biggest factors behind the global education crisis as the educational infrastructure is damaged, families are displaced and children are forced to join the armed forces.
Data shows that children in conflict zones are 30% less likely to complete their primary
schooling, and only 50% of refugee children have access to primary education, which is far
below the global average of 90%. Also, the return ratio of children to school after conflict is not 1:1. (Concern, 2023) Adolescent girls are even more vulnerable, as they are either kept at home for their safety or forced into child marriage. They are 2.5 times more likely to leave schools than boys in conflict zones. (Rasha Faek, 2024).
The consequences are both immediate and long-term. Immediately the schools are shut down, teachers flee, and learning materials vanish. But over time, these gaps lead to low income, poor health, inequality, and psychological distress – fuelling the cycle of poverty.
Globally, regions like Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and the DRC have educational ecosystems destroyed due to conflict. And even in democracies like India,states such as Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur have witnessed school closures due to conflict or ethnic violence.
Article 26 of UDHR recognizes education as a fundamental human right. Education is a pillar of peacebuilding, and denying it in conflict zones threatens not just individuals but entire civilization.
Barriers to Education in Conflict Settings
In conflict zones, education is often the first casualty and the last to recover. Schools turn into battlegrounds; teachers are displaced and survival becomes a priority over learning, these invisible barriers silence dreams long before the guns do…!
o Physical infrastructure destruction:
A recent global study, Education Under Attack, addresses targeted political and military violence against education staff, students, teachers’ unions, government officials, and institutions in the regions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Thailand, Nepal, Yemen, Syria, and Colombia. According toUNICEF, over 10,000 schools across 35 conflict-affected countries were reported non-functional due to damage. The lack of safe, functioning learning spaces drastically reduces school attendance and enrolment.
o Displacement and Migration:
Crises often force families to flee their homes, leading to mass displacement and disrupting access to education for children. Refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) face extreme difficulties accessing education, especially when documentation, language barriers, or host country policies impede enrolment. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face limited access to formal education due to their legal status and mobility restrictions.
o Psychosocial and Sociopolitical Barriers to Learning:
In conflict-affected regions, children’s education is not only affected by damaged infrastructure but by deep emotional and political wounds. Violence and loss leave children carrying trauma that dims their ability to learn. Simultaneously, Rules that ban girls or exclude minorities keep many children out of school. To truly help, we need more than buildings; we need care, fairness, and support for every child.
Women and Girls: The Worst Affected
“When you educate a man, you educate an individual. But when you educ a woman, you
educate a nation.”
— Dr. James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey
Girls living in conflict zones face the highest barriers to education globally. As per The World Bank, they are 2.5 times more prone to be out of school than girls in non-conflict areas. Out of the 120 million girls worldwide who are not in school, more than 68 million live in fragile and conflict-affected regions.
These girls usually receive 8.5 years of education in their lives, suspended by fear, displacement,violence, and gender restrictive norms. Conflict puts them at risk of early marriage, gender-based violence, and exploitation in the very places that are supposed to keep them safe.
Between 2015 and 2019, at least 21 countries reported attacks on education that delibdeliberately targeted girls. Displacement makes access even harder, especially at the secondary level, where enrolment gaps widen significantly.
The education crisis for girls is also a safety crisis. When schools close, they lose protection,support, and their best chance to escape poverty and violence. Closing these gaps means investing in gender-sensitive education, female teachers, safe spaces, and mental health support.
INNOVATIVE INTERVENTIONS AND GLOBAL RESPONSES:
Children are deprived of education for various reasons. Poverty remains one of the most
obstinate barriers. Children living through economic fragility, political instability, conflict or natural disaster are more likely to be cut off from schooling – as are those with disabilities, or from ethnic minorities. In some countries, education opportunities for girls remain severely limited. But most of the children grieve in the countries which are suffering from emergencies like wars, conflict, political instability. To eradicate the problems and to make sure that these conflict zone areas are acquiring enough education UNICEF has intervened into this matter and started some initiatives.
INITIATIVES BY UNICEF IN THESE EMERGENCY AREAS:
Education is a basic human right. In 147 countries around the world, UNICEF works to provide quality learning opportunities that prepare children and adolescents with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive:
• Equitable Access
• Quality Learning
• Education in Emergencies
ROLE OF NGO’S IN REFUGEE CAMPS:
•Addressing language barriers:They offer language support to help refugees integrate into host communities and access formal education.
•Advocacy and Awareness:
They advocate for refugee education policies at both local and international levels, raising public awareness about the importance of refugee education.
•Community Engagement:
Local NGOs build relationships with refugee communities, providing support for parents and caregivers to help children succeed in school.
Using community-based solutions:
These centers, which aim to prepare students for their reintegration into formal learning
environments, are supported by the NECR’s Community Coalitions. These coalitions,
comprising local community groups, oversee the activities at the learning centers, monitor
teachers’ and learners’ attendance, and provide food and supplies from their collective resources, among other activities. In doing so, they give effect to the strong emphasis that Creative Associates places on sustainability and local ownership. “In the Environments where we work, if you don’t find the right people and the right people are those trusted by those communities, you cannot establish a successful program, ” said Ellie Saint George, Creative Associates Director for education in conflict.
CASE STUDY: MANIPUR
The ongoing conflict in Manipur has had devastating consequences beyond the immediate
violence, particularly in the realm of education. Among the worst affected are young children, especially girls whose schooling and emotional well-being have been severely disrupted.The ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed over 150 lives and displaced at least 70,000 people, including thousands of students.
“The ongoing conflict has eroded the sense of discipline among students,”says Ramsiemzo
Tusing, headmistress of the Young Learners School in Churachandpur. “We receive calls from concerned parents reporting that their children are reluctant to study and attend school. Instead, they spend their days watching videos of violence and are leaning towards drug use as a means of seeking refuge from the relentless conflict. The government has not provided any therapy for these children, and while teachers are doing their best to help, they are limited in number and are not professional counselors.”
“I want to go back to school, but we had to leave everything behind. There is no school near the camp,” says 13-year-old Lhingneivah, living in a relief shelter in Churachandpur.The conflict has disproportionately impacted girl child education, pushing many young girls out of classrooms and into cycles of vulnerability, insecurity, and lost opportunities.
CASE STUDY: KASHMIR:
The ongoing conflict in Kashmir significantly disrupts and negatively impacts the education of children, leading to decreased school attendance, learning difficulties, and psychological trauma.The conflict’s impact extends beyond the classroom, affecting children’s overall well-being and future prospects.
At the point when we talk about Kashmir, struggle unavoidably comes up. It influeences each part of Kashmir, including education. With endless and relentless shutdowns, curfews, restrictions,and communication barricades, getting a legitimate education is really unsure. Regardless of whether one comes from a city or a village, goes to public schools or government schools, getting a quality education anyplace in Kashmir is a test in itself. The armed conflict set down falling consequences for students of Kashmir and has likewise been answerable for huge change to essential vital citizen framework.Parents are increasingly hesitant to send their daughters to distant schools or hostels across the globe due to their identity as Kashmiri, as widespread media-driven stereotypes have painted
Kashmiris as threats, fostering mistrust and social exclusion.
WAY FORWARD: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:
According to the report published by Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack
(GCPEA), in 2022 and 2023, 3,250 attacks on schools were reported, mostly in Gaza, Ukraine, but also in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Yemen. Many countries are striving towards forming policies and approaches to safeguard the right to education of children during the times of conflict. Many international organisations havelaunched several initiatives. For instance:
● Unicef’s Global Fund ‘Education Cannot Wait’ (2023) aids Education in crisis and works
in close partnership with governments, private and public donors, civil society
organizations, etc.
● The Malala Fund (2013) advocates Education for girls especially in Third world
Countries.
● Initiatives such as ‘Safe Schools Declaration’ is a political commitment endorsed by over
120 countries worldwide to support the continuation of education during war and to put
in place concrete measures to deter the military use of schools. (Unicef, ‘Education under
Attack 2024).
CONCLUSION:
Education in Conflict Zones serves a two fold function, it not only acts as a means of academic advancement but becomes a tool of peace and normalcy. Wars, pandemics and conflicts disrupt children’s and women’s right to education becoming prone to psychological trauma as well as physical insecurity. Many Children and teachers are misplaced, killed and forced into labour thus disrupting every aspect of the education ecosystem. Furthermore, gender disparities in education in conflict-affected areas worsen dramatically. As Edward Bulwer-Lytton has rightly said, “The pen is mightier than the sword” emphasizing on the power of the word, peace and education to be way more influential than violence and war. Rebuilding education in conflict zones requires a
multifaceted approach. Countries globally as well as international organisations, civil society organizations need to invest in emergency education infrastructure and integration of education into humanitarian responses. Education is important for achieving world peace and a foundational step towards healing nations.
References:
● UNICEF. (2024, December 28). ‘Not the new normal’ – 2024 ‘one of the worst years in UNICEF’s history’ for children in conflict. UNICEF. https://shorturl.at/xigfU
● Concern. (2023, September 13). How does war affect education? The consequences of conflict meeting the classroom. CONCERN. https://shorturl.at/qQPa89
● Rasha Faek. (2024, March 5). Caught in the Cross Fire: The Battle for Girls’ Education in Conflict Zones Rages On. WENR. https://shorturl.at/7a4ta
● The World Bank Group-https://shorturl.at/sEqm5
● UNICEF- Education Under Attack-https://shorturl.at/04jpu
● UNICEF. (n.d.). Education programmes. https://www.unicef.org/education/programmes
● Adeyinka, E. (2021, August 2). Education in conflict zones: Challenges and solution. Medium.https://erioluwaadeyinka.medium.com/education-in-conflict-zones-challenges-and-solution-6e73204e9ae1
