UNICEF: Ongoing Conflicts and Hazards Leave 7.6 Million Ethiopian Children Out of School

Published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the recently released Ethiopian Education Cluster Quarterly Newsletter has shed light on a deeply concerning issue with a staggering 7.6 million children in Ethiopia finding themselves deprived of an education due to the multifaceted challenges posed by ongoing conflicts and various hazards within the country.

Covering the reporting period from July to September 2023, the report emphasizes the grim reality that the longer these children remain out of school, the less likely it is that they will return to formal learning.

The Ethiopian Education Cluster’s efforts to address this crisis have been severely hampered by a series of challenges.

The publication, unveiled this Saturday, underscores the scale of the problem. A total of 8,552 schools across Ethiopia have reported varying degrees of damage, impacting nearly 20 percent of all schools.

This, according to the report, not only disrupts the education of these children but also further complicates efforts to rehabilitate and reopen these damaged schools.

One of the most alarming findings is the significant underfunding of the education cluster.

The current funding available covers only 22 percent of the target set by UNICEF, which in turn supports just 851,000 children. This falls far short of the humanitarian response plan for Ethiopia. As a result, a substantial number of children remain without the support they desperately need to access education.

Official data provided by the education cluster reveal that their objective is to reach 3.8 million children, which represents just 30 percent of the children in need, as per calculations and planning for the year 2023. The distressing shortfall in funding and resources has made it challenging to address this education crisis adequately.

The Ethiopian government and international humanitarian organizations are under increased pressure to act swiftly in response to this urgent situation.

Adequate funding, resource allocation, and conflict resolution efforts will be pivotal in ensuring that millions of Ethiopian children can access the education they deserve.