Attacks on education worldwide have surged by 40%, with more than 8,556 recorded incidents and 10,600 students and staff killed, injured, abducted, arrested or otherwise harmed in 2024 and 2025, according to new research by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA).

Attacks were reported in 83 countries, with the highest incidences in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Palestine, and Ukraine. Ukraine experienced about 900 attacks on schools, while Palestine saw at least 2,400 attacks on students and staff.

Cases of military forces or armed groups occupying schools or universities nearly doubled (91%) from the previous two years, with 1,912 recorded cases. Lisa Chung Bender, director of the GCPEA, said the findings sound the alarm about the threat to education, warning that global norms protecting children are collapsing.

The highest numbers of victims were in Myanmar, Nigeria, Yemen, and Cameroon, where more than 1,700 students and staff were killed or injured. In Nigeria, more than 700 students and staff were reportedly kidnapped, while in Myanmar, at least 80 students and staff were killed and about 240 injured.

Prof. Tejendra Pherali of University College London noted that attacks are becoming systematic and strategic, with schools no longer seen as safe havens. In at least 11 countries, women and girls were targeted because of their gender. The use of high explosives, including drone-borne munitions, was frequent, causing extensive casualties and damage.

Kieran King from War Child UK said attacks on education are grave violations of international law, and the weakening multilateral system and aid cuts are worsening the situation. The number of interstate conflicts reached 65 in 2025, the highest since World War II, with over 244,000 people killed in organized violence.

Source: www.theguardian.com