24 million children deprived of education in conflict-ridden countries: UNICEF
South Sudan has the highest number of children forced out of school, at 51%, followed by Niger at 47%, Sudan at 41%, and Afghanistan at 40%.
One in every four children living in 22 conflict-ridden countries is deprived of education, a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund said. Nearly 24 million children out of 109 million at he age of primary and secondary school in such nations are not getting an education. UNICEF added that the figures might be under-reported due to difficulties faced in gathering data in these regions.
South Sudan has the highest number of children forced out of school, at 51%, followed by Niger at 47%, Sudan at 41%, and Afghanistan at 40%. The UN had reported earlier that violence by militant group Boko Haram in and around northeast Nigeria has forced more than a million children to drop out of school. More than 2,000 schools in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger are closed because of conflict in the region, while hundreds of others have been looted or destroyed.
