Violent attacks on schools, students and teachers increase by 40% worldwide, study finds

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Violent attacks targeting schools, students and teachers around the world have increased by 40%, according to a new study. The organization reported that incidents recorded in 83 countries resulted in at least 10,600 students and education staff being killed, injured, abducted, arrested or otherwise harmed. The attacks were reported across 83 countries, with the highest numbers recorded in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Palestine and Ukraine.

The GCPEA report stated that Ukraine experienced approximately 900 attacks on schools, while at least 2,400 attacks against students and education staff were recorded in Palestine. According to the study, published on Monday, incidents involving military forces or armed groups occupying schools and universities increased by 91% compared with the previous two-year period, reaching 1,912 recorded cases.

GCPEA Director Lisa Chung Bender said the findings should serve as a warning about the growing threats facing education worldwide.

“These figures are a warning that the global norms that once protected children are collapsing,” she said. “They are a warning that the world is drifting toward a place where even the youngest are no longer off-limits. And a warning that if we do not hold the line now, we may never get it back.”

Myanmar, Nigeria, Yemen and Cameroon recorded the highest numbers of victims of attacks on education. In those four countries alone, more than 1,700 students and education staff were killed or injured. In Nigeria, more than 700 students and staff members were reportedly abducted. In Myanmar, at least 80 students and education personnel were killed, while around 240 others were injured.

The report also found that women and girls were targeted because of their gender in at least 11 countries. One example cited in the study occurred in Nigeria on November 17, 2025, when armed attackers stormed a girls’ boarding school, killing the vice-principal and abducting 25 female students. Students with disabilities, who already face significant barriers to accessing education, were also affected. On September 11, 2025, sources reported that the Israeli military carried out a controlled explosion that destroyed a school for children with special needs in Lebanon.

The report noted that attacks on educational institutions frequently involved the use of high explosives, including munitions delivered by drones. These attacks resulted in significant casualties, extensive damage to infrastructure and the closure of many schools and educational facilities. The findings come as the number of conflicts between states has reached its highest level since World War II. Data from Uppsala University's Conflict Data Program recorded 65 conflicts in 2025, 13 of which were classified as wars, meaning they caused at least 1,000 battle-related deaths during a single calendar year. This represents the highest number of conflicts recorded since 1992. The number of deaths among both combatants and civilians also increased sharply throughout the year. In total, more than 244,000 people were killed in organized violence during 2025, making it the second deadliest year since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Source: The Guardian