At least 57 million children, adolescents and youths in Central and West Africa have been denied access to education, a new report by three humanitarian partners shows.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), that figure represents 24.1 percent of the 236 million out of school worldwide.
The report, which was published on eve of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, also shows that the number of school closures has spiked in eight countries of the region, with over 12,400 schools closed by the end of the 2021 to 2022 school year.
The development partners called on leaders of the regions to step up efforts to ensure the full implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and protect every child’s right to go to school.
The Safe Schools Declaration is an inter-governmental political commitment to protect students, teachers, schools, and universities from the worst effects of armed conflict.
‘Every child out of school, every day of learning lost, is one brick fewer to build peace and prosperity in the region’, the NRC Regional Director for Central and West Africa, Maureen Magee, said.
In Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger, more than half of all children and adolescents do not have access to education as the number of closed schools increased by 66 percent in the Central Sahel region alone over the last school year.
Schools are either the direct targets of attack by non-state armed groups or deserted by students in fear of attacks.
‘Sadly, learning institutions have not been spared from attacks by armed groups. Maintaining access to safe, quality education for all children, including refugees, is crucial’, the Director of UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, Millicent Mutuli, said.
The organisations also called on governments, armed forces, other parties to conflicts and the international community to take concerted action to stop attacks and threats against schools, students and teachers.
Photo source: Kenya News Agency
