Attacks on education soar worldwide as conflicts push schools into crossfire

More than 8,500 attacks on schools, students and educators were recorded across 83 countries in 2024 and 2025, highlighting an alarming escalation in violence against education amid a surge in global conflicts, according to a new international report.

Research published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) found that attacks on education increased by 40% compared with the previous reporting period, with 8,556 incidents documented worldwide. More than 10,600 students, teachers and education staff were killed, injured, abducted, arrested or otherwise harmed during the two-year period, The Guardian reveals.

The report identified Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Palestine and Ukraine as among the countries most severely affected. Ukraine recorded approximately 900 attacks on schools, while Palestine saw at least 2,400 attacks targeting students and educational personnel.

Military occupation of educational facilities also rose sharply. The report documented 1,912 cases of armed forces or non-state groups using schools and universities for military purposes, representing a 91% increase compared with the previous two years.

Lisa Chung Bender, director of the GCPEA, warned that the findings reflect a growing erosion of protections for children in conflict zones.

“They are a warning that the global norms that once protected children are collapsing,” she said. “A warning that the world is drifting toward a place where even the youngest are no longer off-limits. And a warning that if we do not hold the line now, we may never get it back.”

Myanmar, Nigeria, Yemen and Cameroon recorded the highest numbers of casualties linked to attacks on education, with more than 1,700 students and staff collectively killed or injured.

In Nigeria, more than 700 students and educators were reportedly kidnapped. In Myanmar, at least 80 students and staff members were killed and around 240 injured.

Experts say attacks on education are becoming increasingly deliberate.

Prof Tejendra Pherali, professor of education, conflict and peace at University College London, said: “It’s heartbreaking to see numbers are rising; it is the same pattern every year … In my view, this is more systematic rather than episodic, and attacks are increasingly strategic.”

He added: “Behind these numbers are the children who no longer see schools as a place of safety. It’s not just education that is lost – it’s safety, futures and trust in educational institutions.”

The report also highlighted gender-based attacks on education. In at least 11 countries, women and girls were specifically targeted because of their gender. One incident cited in the report occurred on November 17, 2025, when gunmen attacked a girls’ boarding school in Nigeria, killing the vice-principal and abducting 25 female students.

Students with disabilities were also among the victims. According to the report, a school for children with special needs in Lebanon was destroyed in a controlled detonation allegedly carried out by the Israeli military on September 11, 2025.

High-explosive weapons, including drone-delivered munitions, were frequently used in attacks on educational facilities, causing extensive damage, casualties and prolonged school closures.

Kieran King of War Child UK described attacks on education as serious violations of international humanitarian law.

“The reality is that since 2010, we have seen a 60% increase of children living in conflict,” he said. “Over the same period, we’ve seen grave violations against children, including attacks on education, increase by 373%.”

King added that states acting without fear of consequences and reductions in humanitarian assistance were contributing to the worsening crisis.

“We see this weakening multilateral system and political impunity for war crimes more broadly,” he said. “The inevitable result of that is a documented surge in disregard for international humanitarian law.

“The aid cuts that we’ve seen from the US, but also the UK and others, [have led to significant amounts] of the funding for support for humanitarian action removed from the sector.”

Despite the worsening trend, Chung Bender said the violence could be prevented through stronger international action.

“We need states to end military use of schools, strengthen legal protection and accountability for attacks on education, and invest in monitoring, reporting and early warning systems,” she said.

The findings come amid a broader rise in global warfare. According to data from Uppsala University’s conflict data programme, 65 state-based conflicts were recorded in 2025, including 13 wars that each caused at least 1,000 battle-related deaths. The figure represents the highest number of conflicts since 1992.

Global fatalities from organised violence also surged, with more than 244,000 people killed in 2025, making it the second-deadliest year since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

By Sabina Mammadli