Education

“UNICEF is appalled by the deaths of four school children and two teachers as the result of an air strike on two schools in Kayah state, eastern Myanmar, on Monday. “The children who died were aged between 12 and 14. Many more were injured. More than 100 children were in school at the time of the strikes. “UNICEF strongly condemns any strikes…

SÉGOU REGION, Mali – Persistent insecurity in central and northern Mali has helped fuel a protracted humanitarian crisis, disrupting access to education, health and other services, and displacing more than 300,000 people – more than half of them children. COVID-19 has compounded the problem. Before the pandemic, direct threats and attacks on…

NEW YORK, 13 MAY 2020 – An additional 6,000 children could die every day from preventable causes over the next six months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weaken health systems and disrupt routine services, UNICEF said today. The estimate is based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly…

SÉVARÉ, Mali – Boureima’s students enjoy his classes. The setting might be unconventional, uncomfortable even, with more than 70 students sharing a tent in the corner of a dusty sports stadium. But Boureima brings something even more valuable than the sturdy walls of a conventional classroom: Seemingly unlimited patience – and pride in his…

Hussaini*, 14, is one of the lucky ones. He escaped. In 2018, as terrorism by extremist groups in the Sahel crossed into Burkina Faso, his village was attacked while he was in school. First, he heard screaming, and then gunfire. “They shot at our teachers and killed one of them,” he says. “They burned dwn the classrooms.” Hussaini ran home and…

Conflict is taking a devastating toll on education. This must not become a forgotten crisis, Thirty years after governments around the world adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child , the right to an education is being violated in communities hit by conflict in West and Central Africa. Right now, nearly two million children are being robbed of an education in the region due to violence and insecurity in and around their schools.…, West and Central Africa crisis at a glance, en child alert.png This map is stylized and not to scale. It does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or area or the delimitation of any frontiers. The final boundary between the Sudan and South Sudan has not yet been determined. What’s happening? Many areas in West and Central Africa are witnessing increased…, Learning in peril, When education is under attack, safe schooling in the traditional sense becomes impossible to provide. The threat of attacks creates a sense of fear in local communities, forcing schools to close, teachers to flee and school children to remain at home, unable to learn in classrooms with their peers. Cameroon. A child stands in a classroom in…, Voices from the region, UNICEF UNICEF Display caption Show Original Caption Display caption Show Original Caption South Sudan. A girl completes school work in a classroom in Yambio, South Sudan. UNICEF/UN0272634/Holt Mary, who was once abducted by an armed group, completes school work in a classroom in Yambio, South Sudan. Nigeria. A girl pushes her hand against a screen…, How is UNICEF helping?, While a classroom is preferable, it is not the only place to provide learning activities. For example, UNICEF and the Children’s Radio Foundation have been collaborating since 2016 on designing and piloting the first-of-its-kind Radio Education in Emergencies programme. UNICEF has also been creating temporary learning centres, which provide a…, Call to action, UNICEF and partners call on governments, armed forces, other parties to conflict and the international community to take concerted action to stop attacks and threats against schools, students, teachers and other school personnel in West and Central Africa – and to support quality learning for every child in the region. To reach these goals: States…

YANGON, 28 May 2019 – Echoing the concerns of UN organisations regarding the escalation of violence and civilian casualties in Rakhine State, UNICEF Myanmar is deeply concerned about reports of killing of children as a result of direct targeting and indirect actions (crossfire, landmines, cluster munitions, improvised explosive devices or other…

BAMAKO, Mali, 26 April, 2019 -- In Mali, the sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the central region of Mopti, which is due to intercommunal violence and the presence of armed groups, is increasingly affecting the most vulnerable children. In addition to growing concerns about grave violations against children, such as the…

DAKAR/NEW YORK, 28 February 2019 – Continued and growing insecurity in the Sahel region has forced nearly 2,000 schools in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to close or become non-operational, UNICEF said today. This marks a two-fold increase in the number of education facilities forcibly closed or left non-operational since 2017. Threats to education…

TIMBUKTU, Mali – Fatoumata Touré was born and raised in Timbuktu, the ancient city in central Mali once renowned as a centre of Islamic scholarship. Like her ancestors, Fatoumata loves to learn. “My favourite class at school is history and Timbuktu has so many stories to tell!” the 14-year-old says. She dreams of becoming a lawyer. A passion for…

One year ago, hundreds of thousands of desperate and terrorized people – more than half of them children – poured across the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh, bringing with them accounts of the unspeakable violence and brutality that had forced them to flee. Today, a semblance of normality has descended on the camps and the surrounding…, Crisis at a glance, How many Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh?, Around 919,000 Rohingya refugees now live in southern Bangladesh, the vast majority in the camps and settlements that have sprung up in Cox’s Bazar district, close to the border with Myanmar., What are the main challenges Rohingya refugees face?, Daily life is dominated by the search for food and water, and coping with living conditions that are difficult and sometimes dangerous – especially in Bangladesh’s long monsoon and cyclone seasons, which last until the end of the year. This daily challenge of survival is compounded by uncertainty over their future. They want to return home, but…, How are Rohingya children affected by the crisis?, Aside from the challenges outlined above, children also face an uncertain future. Lack of schooling is a frequent complaint around the camp, especially among adolescents. Girls in particular are at risk of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence. All children face the threat of malnutrition, disease and unsafe water., How one Rohingya girl avoided missing out on school, Two girls write on a sheet of paper, Bangladesh On 5 August 2018 in Hakimpara Refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Tasmin (left), a Bangladeshi student, helps her friend Rajima (right), a Rohingya refugee, with her studies. Both students are 10 years of age. When Rajima, a 10-year-old Rohingya refugee, arrived in Bangladesh in August 2017 she…, Voices of Rohingya refugees, Rubena's story Rashed's story Watch more of Rashed's story >> Abu Ahmed's story, UNICEF's response, UNICEF and its partners from both government and civil society have continued and broadened their work in Myanmar and Bangladesh: To protect children in the largely lawless environment of the camps, UNICEF and partners have set up 136 child-friendly spaces, creating a safe place for children to heal, grow and play. To protect girls against gender-…, Learn more

Photos and broll available at: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AMZIFVREB39 BAMAKO/DAKAR/NEW YORK, 29 May 2018 –  As the security situation in Mali continues to worsen, children are being denied the opportunity to survive, learn and thrive, UNICEF said today. “The children of Mali are suffering in silence, away from the world’s attention,”…