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War in in Middle East, N.Africa prevents 13 million going to school, UNICEF reports

By REUTERS

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 06:51

Updated: SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 06:50

BEIRUT- Conflicts across the Middle East and North Africa are preventing more than 13 million children from attending school, leaving their hopes and futures shattered, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a report issued on Thursday.

The UNICEF report "Education Under Fire" looked at the impact of violence on schoolchildren in nine territories, including Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya where a generation is growing up outside of the education system.

"It's no coincidence in that what we see in terms of our TV pictures, the tragic pictures of people crossing on boats to Greece and Italy, very much comes back to the Syrian conflict and (to) the Iraqi conflict to a lesser extent," UNICEF regional director Peter Salama said.

Refugees often say the education of their children is their top priority, he said, and many countries in the region simply are not able to provide that basic human right.

The study also looked at Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey - countries neighboring Syria and hosting large numbers of refugees, as well as Sudan and Palestinian territories.

Attacks on schools are one of the main reasons why many children cannot go to classes while many such buildings are now being used to shelter displaced families or are used as bases for combatants, UNICEF said.

In Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya alone, nearly 9,000 schools are unable to be used for education, the report said.

Thousands of teachers across the region have abandoned their posts in fear, which has also stopped parents from sending their children to school, it added.

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