(February 24, 2023 - New York) The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) strongly condemns the ongoing attacks on schools and universities in Ukraine which have caused significant damage and upended learning across the country. Since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, over 3,500 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, although that number has not been independently verified.
Since February 2022, education facilities and staff have come under attack in many regions of the country, with Kharkiv and Donetsk regions most affected, according to a new brief on Ukraine published by GCPEA. This research highlights that attacks on education involving explosive weapons, including shelling and airstrikes, were the most prevalent, and that no level of learning has been spared, from pre-primary through tertiary and including schools for students with disabilities.
Attacks on schools and universities often occurred in the context of Russian forces shelling and firing missiles at Ukrainian cities and towns. In addition to damaging and destroying schools and universities, strikes caused power and internet outages and forced students and educators to take shelter during air raids; these are significant hindrances to both online and in-person learning. Approximately 5.7 million children in Ukraine have experienced disruptions to their education since February 2022, according to the United Nations, and 5.3 million students and education personnel are in need of education support. GCPEA also identified reports of both sides of the conflict using schools for military purposes, sometimes prompting attacks.*
The widespread damage and destruction of schools and universities in Ukraine points to the need to document and share reports of attacks on education. Quality information on these attacks and their impacts can support the Ukrainian government and its partners to plan for the rehabilitation of education facilities. It may also support greater accountability for perpetrators of these attacks when such attacks violate international law. GCPEA has published a Toolkit on Collecting and Analyzing Data on Attacks on Education which outlines technical guidance on some of these elements. The Toolkit also informed the analyses in GCPEA’s Ukraine brief.
Schools and universities are critical to social and economic development and a functioning society. Attacks on education cause immediate loss of life and destruction but also have other lasting consequences. Long-term mental and psychosocial effects and damage to facilities mean some students never resume their studies.
Education should be kept out of the crosshairs. GCPEA calls on all parties to uphold and protect the civilian nature of schools, students, and education personnel. In particular, we call on parties to cease attacks on education and avoid the use of schools and universities for military purposes in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2601 (2021) and the Safe Schools Declaration and its Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict. Perpetrators of unlawful attacks on education must also be held accountable.
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* The brief identified perpetrators of attacks on education only when reliable reports came from credible non-governmental organizations or the UN. The focus of the brief is on attacks and their impacts, rather than perpetrators. The majority of reported incidents identified by GCPEA occurred in Ukrainian government-controlled areas of the country; attacks in Russian-occupied areas may be underreported. For more details on GCPEA methodology, see Education under Attack 2022 and the Toolkit for Collecting and Analyzing Data on Attacks on Education.
