Education under siege: Armed conflict silences classrooms across Africa

Widespread insecurity and conflict have led to the closure of almost 15,000 schools across West and Central Africa by mid-2025, according to a recent United Nations report.

The crisis is hitting hardest in countries like Nigeria and Cameroon, where millions have been displaced and access to education has become increasingly limited.

The report states that between June 2024 and June 2025, the number of non-operational schools in the region increased from 14,364 to 14,829.

As a result, more than 3 million children have had their education disrupted, a number many experts believe is significantly underestimated.

Busola Rafiat Ojo-oba, a Lagos-based social worker and gender-based violence specialist, estimates the real figure is closer to 5 million children.

She notes that nearly 500 schools in Nigeria alone have shut down due to ongoing insecurity.

“In a country where poverty is multidimensional, education is often the first casualty,” she said.

“When teachers and school administrators can’t work due to insecurity, it reinforces a cycle of poverty and rising unemployment,” she added.

Youth advocate Efe Johnson, based in Abuja, points out that while the rate of school closures may have slowed in recent months, the lasting impact of earlier shutdowns is still being felt.

“In the Northeast, many schools closed during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency and never reopened,” he said. “A lot of kids simply grew up outside the system and never returned.”

The consequences extend beyond missed lessons. Some experts warn that boys may be vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, while girls are at increased risk of teenage pregnancy, both factors that keep children out of the classroom.

Insecurity remains a major concern in northwest Nigeria, particularly in Zamfara State.

Towns like Anka, Bukuyyum, Maru, Shinkafi, Tsafe, and Zurmi continue to see schools shuttered. Even where schools remain technically open, fear often keeps students away.

Umar Rabat, a teacher at Government Day Secondary School, said students attend classes with anxiety.

“Families, especially those with daughters, are too afraid to send them to school due to threats of kidnapping and violence,” he said.

Ojo-oba echoed those concerns, adding that daily survival now takes priority for many families.

“Parents are focused on food, shelter, and safety. Education becomes a luxury in these conditions,” she said.

Authorities have taken steps to mitigate the crisis, including providing motorcycles and vehicles for community security patrols and relocating students from conflict zones to safer areas.

In some cases, the Nigerian government has set up mini-camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), allowing children to continue learning in safer environments.

Still, these efforts are often seen as temporary fixes. “When funding dries up or the programs stall, what's next?” Johnson asked.

In neighboring Ghana, conflict has forced the closure of at least 44 schools, displacing nearly 5,000 students in the Savannah Region.

According to Africa Education Watch, teachers have fled dangerous communities like Gbinyiri, where violence recently claimed over 30 lives in just three weeks.

Kofi Asare, executive director of the think tank, urges governments across the region to revive and implement the Education and Emergency Plan developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan allows for virtual and remote learning in crisis situations and could help maintain education delivery even when physical schools are not safe.

“Education ministers must not shelve these policies,” Asare said. “They need to ensure that when conflict erupts, there is a system in place to keep learning going.”

With violence and displacement continuing to plague the region, the path to educational recovery remains uncertain.