UNESCO warns of continued rise in attacks on schools worldwide

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) expressed its concern yesterday over the continued rise in attacks on schools around the world. UNESCO said this in a press statement on the occasion of the International Day to Protect Education from Attacks, based on the latest global data, which revealed an alarming escalation in such attacks in 2025. It said that 1,680 attacks on schools were verified by the United Nations in 2025, an increase of 33 per cent compared to 1,265 attacks in 2024. More broadly, an estimated 258 million children and adolescents have had their education disrupted by crises worldwide, including 93 million who are entirely out of school, UNESCO said. Nearly 80 per cent of all out-of-school crisis-affected children, some 74 million, live in just 20 countries facing the world’s most severe crises, UNESCO said.