Published on: 2026-06-23
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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June 23, 2026 Culture and Education
According to new data, millions of children remain without access to education due to conflicts and humanitarian crises, with almost 80 percent of them living in just 20 countries around the world.
According to a new report by the UN fund Education Cannot Wait, the consequences of crises affect the education of 258 million school-age children and adolescents worldwide. Ninety-three million of them are completely deprived of the opportunity to attend school. Nearly 80 percent of all children who do not attend school due to conflicts and humanitarian crises live in just 20 countries, where the situation is most severe.
Spaces accumulate during training
The authors of the report emphasize that the discussion is not only about the lack of access to education. In many regions affected by the crisis, children do not acquire basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, and gaps in knowledge are increasing. As a result, difficulties in mastering the school curriculum in primary grades often lead to adolescents completely dropping out of school. For example, the most serious losses in education are observed in countries affected by conflict: by the sixth grade, only 30 percent of children reach a sufficient level of reading skills.At the same time, in countries experiencing a socio-economic crisis, this indicator reaches 47 percent, and in countries affected by natural disasters – 63 percent.
Inequality in education
The authors of the report note that the educational crisis is becoming increasingly widespread, while its consequences are not felt equally everywhere. The exclusion of children from the education system largely depends on where they live and whether they belong to the number of internally displaced persons, children with disabilities, or other vulnerable population groups. However, experts note that expanding access to education is not enough. It is also necessary to create conditions that allow children not only to attend school but also to successfully master the curriculum, continue their education, and move on to the next stages within the education system.
Hope for the future
Since its inception, the Education Cannot Wait fund and its partners have provided access to quality education, protection, and comprehensive support for more than a million children and adolescents living in crisis conditions. Furthermore, within the framework of the Strategic Plan for 2027–2030, the fund intends to reach an additional 10 million children affected by severe situations. Achieving this goal will require consolidating political support and mobilizing 600 million dollars in funding over the next four years.
The authors of the report note that behind these figures lie the fates of millions of children for whom education remains a chance for a better future.
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