Education increasingly under attack according to UNESCO Report
Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The report defines violent attacks as “the deliberate use of force in ways that disrupt and deter the provision of and access to education.” It examines the assassination, abduction, illegal detention and torture of students, teaching staff, trade unionists, administrators and officials. It also looks at the bombing and burning of educational buildings and the closure of institutions by force.

Forty percent of the world’s 77 million out-of-school children live in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries, where education is particularly vulnerable to attack. The study shows that Iraq’s educational system is the worst hit by violent attacks, with 30 percent of Iraq’s 3.5 million pupils now attending classes compared to 75 percent in the last school year. Baghdad universities are reporting attendance down by between 40 and 67 percent. More than 3,000 academics have fled the country.

Violent attacks are also hampering the right of young people to education in other countries, including: Afghanistan (79 incidents involving explosions, burnings and missile attacks in 2006), Colombia (310 teachers murdered between 2000 and 2006), Nepal (20,600 teachers and 22,000 students abducted between 2002 and 2006) and Thailand (130 schools burned down from 2004 to 2006).

+ Full Report (PDF; 712 KB)

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 29th, 2007 at 8:59 am and is filed under Crime, Education, International, Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.