Over 100 Million Children Worldwide Excluded from School, UN Report Reveals

A United Nations report released on Tuesday disclosed that over 100 million children and adolescents worldwide have been entirely deprived of access to schooling. This situation results from armed conflicts and the consequences of climate change, contributing to a rapidly worsening educational crisis.

The report detailed that the total number of children and adolescents whose education has been disrupted by wars, displacement, climate disasters, and prolonged social and economic crises exceeds 250 million. Specifically, it reaches approximately 258 million affected individuals globally, according to data from the "Education Cannot Wait" initiative, a UN fund dedicated to education in crisis zones.

It was noted that the number of affected children increased by 21 million within just 18 months, coinciding with escalating challenges linked to ongoing conflicts and deteriorating environmental conditions in several countries.

The report highlighted that 93 million children among the total affected are not receiving full education. Additionally, around 60% of all those impacted reside in only nine countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, and Yemen.

The findings emphasized that armed conflicts and violence constitute the primary reasons for denying children their right to education, surpassing other causes related to economic or climate crises.

Mesaa Jalbout, director of the "Education Cannot Wait" initiative, stated that the data confirm how conflicts and climate change hinder the progress made in the education sector over recent years.

She added that the results clearly identify the groups and countries most in need of support and highlight the areas where investments can most effectively improve educational opportunities. Jalbout called for international efforts to be directed toward supporting the futures of children affected by crises.