“This report is part of Save the Children’s five-year Rewrite the Future education initiative, which seeks to help millions of children in conflict-affected areas gain access to and reap the current and future benefits of a quality education….School can provide a safe place in an otherwise dangerous world, imparting skills to help children protect themselves and recover from the psychological impact of war and violence. Education offers a route out of conflict and poverty. In addition, research shows that primary education significantly contributes to individual productivity and national economic development. However, the report found that children living in these countries receive the least amount of assistance for education -only 2 percent of humanitarian funding- because major international donors find it too difficult to deliver aid to them. Education can and should be part of all humanitarian responses, including those in conflict situations, the report concluded. Early investment in education protects children from the most damaging aspects of conflict and plays a significant role in building peace, restoring countries to a positive development path and breaking the cycle of violence. The new report outlines the consequences of armed conflict on education in 30 countries, 18 of which face ongoing violence. In many cases, schools have been destroyed or commandeered by armed forces; teachers have been killed or forced to flee because they are government employees or community leaders; and children have been recruited and forced to participate in the violence. The report reveals that: 1. In 2003, more than half of armed conflicts had children under 15 as combatants. 2. More than 5 million primary-school-age children (6-11 years) are out of school in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and more than 6 million 12- to 17-year-olds have never been to school. 3. In Nepal, between January and August 2005, more than 11,800 students were abducted from rural schools for indoctrination or forced recruitment into the militia. 4. In Afghanistan, most qualified teachers fled the conflict. Now fewer than 15 percent of teachers hold professional qualifications.” – Publisher’s description
