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The main topic in UNESCO’s September newsletter is the global spike in attacks on education. According to a study by the Global Coalition for Protecting Education from Attack, of which UNESCO is a member, 6,000 attacks against students, professionals and educational institutions, including 1,000 cases of military use of these institutions, were recorded worldwide in 2022-2023 – an average of 8 per day. This represents a 20% increase on the previous two years. More than 10,000 students and educators are believed to have been victims.

Read the article.

EENET is documenting and amplifying the voices of Gaza’s educators and learners.

Across Gaza, educators, learners, their families and communities live under constant bombardment from Israeli occupying forces. They are displaced, hungry and denied basic healthcare.

In addition to committing genocide against Gaza’s people, Israel is committing ‘educide’ / ‘scholasticide’ against Gaza’s entire education system. Almost all schools and universities have been damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of teachers and thousands of learners have been killed.

For most Gazans now, participating in or delivering education has become an impossible dream, although some educators and learners have continued to seek small opportunities.

Read their stories on our Hear Us See Us webpage and on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

The World Bank has issued its report “Choosing Our Future: Education for Climate Action”.

They write: Education is a key asset for climate action. Education reshapes behaviors, develops skills, and spurs innovation—everything we need to combat the greatest crisis facing humanity. Better educated people are more resilient and adaptable, better equipped to create and work in green jobs, and critical to driving solutions. Yet, education is massively overlooked in the climate agenda. Almost no climate finance goes to education. Channeling more climate funding to education could significantly boost climate change mitigation and adaption.

Download the report.

Raïssa Malu is the Minister of State, Minister of National Education and New Citizenship for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this short interview, she answers questions about education, including how to improve access to education and the focus on girls’ education.

Read the interview.

An article by the New Humanitarian shows the connection between austerity policies with reduced funding for education and young people joining gangs.

According to researchers at the think tank Estado de la Nación (State of the Nation), the decaying quality of teaching, the erosion of the country’s social fabric, the damaging effects of the pandemic, and the political decision to stop investing in education have led to what they call an “educational blackout” – with the 38% of minors who live in poverty being those most affected.

“The quality of the [education] system is related to the incursion of the youth into criminality,” according to Leonardo Sánchez, Costa Rica’s deputy education minister. The education ministry provided The New Humanitarian with data that shows that almost 5,000 teenagers dropped out of high school and technical education in 2022, and the same number in 2023.

Read the article: “In Costa Rica, an ‘education blackout’ fuels gang violence and dims children’s hopes of a future.”

This blog gives examples of how children with albinism are supported in their schooling in Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda.

Albinism is one of the commonly misunderstood conditions in many African communities. In some communities, albinism was viewed as a curse, a bad omen, or a punishment from the ancestors for atonement of wrong deeds. Children with albinism often face discrimination and are excluded from learning. There is also a lack of adequate infrastructure or understanding of the needs of children with albinism. However, this blog shows some of the steps being taken.

Read the blog.

The UK Youth Sport Trust has some free resources for schools. These were made for the UK context but some can be used for inspiration in other countries, too, like the 60 second physicial activity challenges. Other resources can only be accessed when registering with the Yough Sport Trust.

Access the free resources.

Fora Education has a report and toolkits for its project to identify key challenges for the transition from school to post-secondary training and education opportunities to employment. The toolkits are: person-centred planning for youth with disabilities in transition, family support and advocacy for youth with disabilities in transition and supporting inclusive employment for persons with disabilities. The project focuses on Malaysia but the tools can be used anywhere.

Download the resources.

Relief Web has issued a report on the current situation of education in Gaza.

“As of 30 July 2024, all the 625,000 enrolled students in Gaza have lost one full scholastic year. 39,000 students missed the Tawjihi (12th grade official exams) for the first time in decades. This means none of them can transition to higher education, and the majority of them may never return to school again.”

Download the full report.

Education Cannot Wait interviewed Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, on the situation of education in Gaza and the West Bank:

“The longer children stay out of school, the more difficult it becomes for them to catch up on learning losses. … The impact of this war on children, particularly their mental and psychosocial wellbeing, is tremendous and will have lasting consequences. We must bring them back to learning as soon as possible to mitigate the severity of the harm that has been inflicted on them.”

Read the interview.