PARIS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) expressed its concern Wednesday over the continued rise in attacks on schools around the world, with the latest global data revealing an alarming escalation in such attacks in 2025.
On the occasion of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, UNESCO said in a press release that 1,680 attacks on schools were verified by the United Nations in 2025, an increase of 33 percent compared to 1,265 attacks in 2024.
More broadly, an estimated 258 million children and adolescents have had their education disrupted by crises worldwide, including 93 million who are entirely out of school, UNESCO said.
Nearly 80 percent of all out-of-school crisis-affected children, some 74 million, live in just 20 countries facing the world's most severe crises, UNESCO said. The organization noted that barriers to learning are steepest for the most vulnerable within these settings, with 74 percent of refugee children, 52 percent of internally displaced children and 45 percent of children with disabilities out of school.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany said schools and universities must always be protected, calling on all parties to conflicts to respect international law and ensure that education can continue in safety and dignity, even in the midst of crisis.
The International Day to Protect Education from Attack was established by a unanimous decision of the United Nations General Assembly in 2020, with September 9 designated as the annual observance. ■
