UN: 3.4m Children In Ethiopia Out Of School Due To Conflict

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – More than 3.4 million children across Ethiopia are out of school, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said in a report.

The UNOCHA Ethiopia Situation Report released on Monday, said more than 3.4 million children including 1.7 million girls have no access to school due to conflict and climate shocks across the country.

UNOCHA said in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region alone, more than 2.3 million children, which include 1.8 million girls, are at home due to the closure of 2,270 schools across the region.

The Tigray region had suffered devastating damages during the two-year-long conflict between government-allied troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The conflict had left tens of thousands dead and millions in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

The Ethiopian government and the TPLF, on Nov. 2, 2022, signed a cessation of hostilities agreement to end the conflict.

The report said inter-sectoral coordination was needed to support back-to-back school activities in northern Ethiopia, including the reconstruction of school structures and systems.

The UN agency, however, said it had received less than half of the funds needed to support emergency education activities across Ethiopia.