15th January, 2016
Almost 24 million children living in the world’s conflict zones are not attending school, according to UNICEF.
The child-focused UN agency says a new analysis shows that of the 109.2 children of primary and lower secondary school age – typically between six and 15-years-old, living in conflict zones, almost one in four are missing out of their education.
The data shows that South Sudan tops the list for the highest proportion of children of primary school or lower secondary school age missing out on school – 51 per cent, followed by Niger (47 per cent), Sudan (41 per cent) and Afghanistan (40 per cent).
Jo Bourne, UNICEF’s chief of education, says that children who are unable to learn even basic reading and writing skills are at risk of "losing their futures and missing out on the opportunity to contribute to their economies and societies when they reach adulthood".
"School equips children with the knowledge and skills they need to rebuild their communities once the conflict is over, and in the short-term, it provides them with the stability and structure required to cope with the trauma they have experienced," she says.
"Schools can also protect children from the trauma and physical dangers around them. When children are not in school, they are at an increased danger of abuse, exploitation and recruitment into armed groups."
– DAVID ADAMS
