9 September 2025 – The International Day to Protect Education from Attack is a reminder that the classroom must remain a place of learning, not a battleground. This year’s theme, “Challenging Narratives, Reshaping Action,” highlights the urgent need to shift perspectives that normalise violence against education and to build stronger, more resilient school systems that can withstand the shocks of conflict and emergencies.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his message for the day, stated:
“No child should risk death to learn. The pen, the book and the classroom are all mightier than the sword.”
His words underscore the pressing reality that education is once again under fire, and children, particularly in conflict-affected regions of Africa are paying the highest price.
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African Children Caught in the Crossfire
Across Africa, the right to education continues to face grave threats. Over the past year, the continent has witnessed the global surge in attacks on schools, with devastating consequences for children, teachers, and communities. The closure of schools does not only mean an interruption in learning, it also signals the collapse of safety nets, nutrition programs, and opportunities for social protection.
West and Central Africa remains the epicenter of school closures due to violence. In 2024 alone, more than 14,000 schools were forced to shut their doors because of insecurity, disrupting the education of millions of children. Entire communities are left in despair when schools close, as education represents the hope of a brighter tomorrow. For children, every closed classroom means another day of lost learning, another step away from opportunity, and another risk of being trapped in the cycle of poverty.
In Burkina Faso, conflict has forced one in every four schools to close. This translates into tens of thousands of children being deprived of education. Teachers are not spared either; many continue to work in environments where the threat of attack is ever-present. Reports show classrooms reduced to ashes, books set on fire, and educators targeted by armed groups. Yet, even in the face of fear, many teachers refuse to give up, courageously holding classes in makeshift spaces to ensure that children do not lose all connection to learning.
In Cameroon, the ongoing Anglophone crisis has created an even harsher reality. The conflict has pushed 1.4 million children into urgent need of educational assistance. Schools have become targets of destruction, teachers have been abducted, and thousands of families displaced. For children in the affected regions, going to school is not just about learning to read or write, it is about holding on to the promise of normalcy in a life torn apart by conflict.
The consequences of these attacks go beyond education. When schools close, children are more vulnerable to child marriage, child labor, exploitation, and even recruitment by armed groups. The classroom, often seen as a safe space, becomes the frontline where the battle for the future of Africa’s children is fought.
What This Day Means for Africa
Education is not only a basic right, it is also a pathway to peace, stability, and development. When children are denied access to schools, the cycle of poverty, violence, and instability deepens. Across Africa today, 21.5 million primary school-aged children remain out of school due to conflict and emergencies. Each child left behind represents a potential future lost to illiteracy, unemployment, and hopelessness.
Protecting schools means protecting hope. It means recognising that every African child deserves a safe classroom, free from fear and filled with the promise of a better tomorrow. A safe school is not just about walls and roofs; it is about guaranteeing children the chance to learn without fear, to play without worry, and to dream without limits. When education is attacked, it is not only the child who suffers, but entire communities, nations, and generations.
Reshaping Action
The 2025 observance calls for renewed commitment and concrete action. First, it requires all African states to endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration, a framework designed to ensure that schools remain protected even in times of war. The declaration is not just a piece of paper, it is a pledge to defend the rights of children and uphold international law.
Second, there is a need to hold perpetrators accountable for attacks on education. Accountability means justice for children whose futures are stolen and for teachers who put their lives at risk to nurture young minds. Without accountability, impunity thrives, and schools remain vulnerable.
Third, governments must invest in resilient education systems that can withstand conflict. This includes building alternative learning spaces, providing distance learning solutions, and ensuring psychosocial support for children who have lived through trauma. Education must be adapted to survive and thrive even in the toughest conditions.
Fourth, it is vital to empower teachers and communities who stand at the frontlines of safeguarding learning. Teachers are not just educators; in conflict settings, they are protectors, mentors, and beacons of stability. Communities, too, play an important role in ensuring that schools are respected as zones of peace.
A Call to Collective Responsibility
On this International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the world is reminded that classrooms must remain symbols of peace, not targets of war. African children deserve to hold pens, not weapons; to open books, not flee from them; to walk to school with hope, not fear. Every child who loses access to education is a reminder of the work that remains unfinished.
So, is the future of Africa’s children still safe? The answer depends on the actions taken today. If governments, international partners, and communities rise to the challenge, invest in resilient systems, and truly protect schools, then yes, Africa’s children can look forward to a future where education thrives even in adversity. But if attacks continue unchecked, if silence replaces accountability, and if classrooms remain under siege, then the safety of Africa’s children will remain in jeopardy.
The choice is ours. Protecting education is more than a duty, it is a collective responsibility, and it is the surest path to safeguarding the continent’s future.
