First ‘International Day to Protect Education from Attack’ being observed Sep 9

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UN, Sep 9 (Medium): On the observance of the first ‘International Day to protect education from Attack’ attention is being drawn to the plight of more than 75 million 3-to-18-year-olds living in 35 crisis-affected countries and to their urgent need of educational support and over the effects of continued violence on these children and their ability to access education, UN reports said.

Ehsanullah at his school in Zheray, a district in the southern province of Kandahar, Afghanistan. The school, which once served around 1,300 students now has less than 400 pupils, and some classrooms remain unusable. Image credit: UNICEF/UN0309055/Kocic

These consequences require special attention beyond the needs of learners whose establishments were temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In proclaiming the International Day to Protect Education from Attack to be observed for the first time in 2020, the UN is sending a clear message regarding the importance of safeguarding schools as places of protection and safety for students and educators and the need to keep education at the top of the public agenda. This remains a priority while governments continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to school closures for more than 90% of the world’s student population.

“As the world fights to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth in conflict zones remain among the most vulnerable to its devastating impact. We must ensure our children have a safe and secure environment in which to learn the knowledge and skills they need for the future,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Education is a fundamental human right and an essential driver for peace and development, yet armed attacks targeting teachers, students, and education facilities are on the rise, with some 11,000 incidents reported between 2015 and 2019, the UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday.

António Guterres shared the startling figure in an address to mark the first observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

“In addition to depriving millions of vulnerable learners of accessing education, this violence has serious adverse effects, including increased drop-out rates, prolonged educational disruption, child recruitment into armed groups, early pregnancy and sexual violence”, he stated, adding “These attacks simply must not…