Six million additional children could be deprived of school at the end of 2026, alerted to UNICEF

Six million additional children could be deprived of the school at the end of 2026 due to a great fall planned in international aid in the education sector, UNICEF warned on Tuesday, September 2.

According to the UN analysis, Public Development Assistance (APD) is expected to fall for education at $ 3.2 billion for next year, a 24% drop since 2023. Almost 80% of this fall is linked to the reductions announced by three countries, the United States, Germany and France.

If these ads come true, UNICEF estimates that six million additional children can be deprived of school at the end of 2026, including 30% in “humanitarian contexts.” “This is equivalent to emptying all primary schools in Germany and Italy,” said the agency.

And this would bring the number of children from private schools to the world.

“Education serves as a vital bond”

“Each cut in dollars in education is not just a budgetary decision, it is the future of a child who is at stake,” insisted the owner of UNICEF Catherine Russell in a press release.

“Education, especially in humanitarian contexts, serves as a vital bond, connecting children with essential services such as health, protection and nutrition. It also offers a child the best opportunity to escape poverty and build a better life,” he added.

The agency is particularly concerned with countries with humanitarian crises, where cuts could be the most obvious. Therefore, certain areas such as Haiti, Somalia or the Palestinian territories could lose the equivalent of 10% of their national budget for education. Or, among the refugees of the Burmese minority of the Rohingyas, 350,000 children could be deprived of basic education “permanently.”

UNICEF also alerts against the impact on girls’ education, with cuts provided in the financing of specific school scholarships and separate bathrooms.

Geographically, central and western Africa will be the most affected, with 1.9 million children threatened to be deprived of education. Côte d’IVorire and Mali would be particularly at risk. And in addition to those completely outside school systems, 290 million children worldwide can have a fall in the quality of their education.