Education

An estimated 244 million children are out of school worldwide, including almost 180 million children at the secondary level. Moreover, nearly half of all preschool-aged children—more than 175 million children—are not enrolled in a pre-primary education program. Discrimination of marginalized groups by teachers and other students, long distances to school, formal and informal school fees, and the absence of inclusive education are among the main causes. Millions stop going to school to work long hours, often under hazardous conditions. Others experience violence or abuse from teachers or fellow students, or find their schools targets of armed attack. Some girls are denied an education when they become pregnant or are forced out of school to marry. Even when in school, millions of children receive a poor-quality education that leaves them lacking essential skills and knowledge, including about their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Youth who are in institutions or prisons often get substandard education or none at all. As children increasingly rely on technology to learn, governments have been slow to provide children with the same protections as they enjoy in their physical classrooms, enabling the misuse or exploitation of children’s personal data collected from online educational settings.

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VO:

Broken windows, burned out classrooms and vandalized property stand as somber reminders of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which engulfed these once vibrant schools.

SOUNDBITE: Hrianyk Oleksandr Principal of School *62, Kharkiv

The building was hit by two artillery shells.

The Classroom was destroyed, all the windows and doors in all the classrooms, halls, and passages were blown out.

VO:

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, numerous schools and kindergartens were hit by airstrikes, artillery, and rockets.

Many were looted and ransacked.

SOUNDBITE:

I was lying on the floor in the basement, and I thought the building was going to collapse.

The enemy has brought us so much pain.

VO:

The war has killed, injured, and traumatized Ukrainian children.

It has also had devastating impact on their access to education.

Russian forces occupied schools, turning them into bases and barracks, where soldiers took shelter, launched military operations, stored weapons, and parked armored vehicles.

SOUNDBITE: Valentina Zarytska Principal, Kukhari School

Of course, we all, children, and parents, want our school to be restored.

We want to be able to work here again.

We want our life to get back to normal.

VO:

Russian soldiers scrawled graffiti on walls, expressing hatred and vitriol towards Ukraine and Ukrainians.

The looted computers and other equipment, which are war crimes.

In some cases, Russian military use of schools made them targets for Ukrainian attacks.

This school in Borodianka, Kyivska region was reduced to ruins after a battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian forces in some instances also used schools for military purposes, which may have increased the risk of Russian attacks.

Overall, thousands of schools have been damaged.

SOUNDBITE: Romaniuk Inna Director of Education, Borodianka

It was impossible to hold back the tears.

The school was destroyed, everything was ruined.

The classrooms were looted, no equipment was left.

It was a terrible situation.

VO:

Ukraine, unlike Russia, has endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration and instructed its forces to avoid using schools and kindergartens for military purposes.

 

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Left: Illustration of young mother studying while breastfeeding. Right: Illustration of the same mother sitting in class.

A Brighter Future

Empowering pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to stay in school.

A Human Rights Watch index