War has serious effects on students that include disruption of their higher education, a high risk for deployment, unemployment and an awakening crisis in families. There have been more than 5,000 reported attacks internationally on school environments. and use of those places as military bases, which contradict international humanitarian laws.

 Between 2020 and 2021, these violent incidents harmed more than 9,000 students and educators across 85 countries. According to the reports submitted, six attacks took place everyday in 2022. More than  400 attacks happened on schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. A gap in education due to emergencies disrupts future generations from the benefits of health, income, equality and the psychological well-being that education provides. This fuels cycles of poverty in communities and countries. 

The longer children remain out of school, the less they are likely to return. Recently, a column published by the Centre for Policy and Research (CEPR) noted that “one aspect that has received little attention so far is the effect of conflict on academic achievements.” The CEPR report points specifically to high school students in this case. In reality, war’s effects on educational attainment applies to all children. 

One of the reasons for this is that children feel the effects of military conflicts  in many ways. The younger they are, the fewer mechanisms they have to express the emotional reactions that are a normal part of conflict, like fear, anxiety and depression. A lack of psychological support has an effect on how well students perform in school, especially those who need additional learning support even in a non-conflict setting. 

 Education can play a key part in reducing the impact of war on children’s lives. Conflict-sensitive education are programs that adapt curricula and learning goals to the realities of war, and can also help children keep up with building important life skills and a sense of normalcy. If students aren’t learning grammar or multiplication tables at this time, it provides them a foundation of support and well-being to continue their full course of education when the timing is right.