from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – VIOLENCE and insecurity have led to the closure of more than 14 000 schools in Central and West Africa.
This has impacted the learning of hundreds of thousands of children across the regions.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has documented the closures amid commemorations of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, this week.
It said across the Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso and Mali as well as Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), school closures affected millions of children in 2023 and continue to do so this year.
Many of the impacted children are at risk of being recruited by armed groups or exposed to severe protection risks such as child labor, physical violence and sexual exploitation.
“Education is under siege in West and Central Africa,” said Hassane Hamadou, NRC’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
“The deliberate targeting of schools and the systemic denial of education because of conflict is nothing short of a catastrophe,” the official added.
“Every day that a child is kept out of school is a day stolen from their future and from the future of their communities.”
Hamadou called on all parties to conflict to cease attacks on and occupation of schools and ensure that education was protected and prioritised.
Across 24 countries in West and Central Africa, some 14 364 schools have closed due to armed violence according to the regional situation report of Education in Emergencies Working Group for West and Central Africa, an increase from 2023 when 13 200 schools were closed.
School closures affected 2,5 million children across the region in 2023.
– CAJ News