Thousands of children deprived of education

As armed groups occupy schools, violence and fear leave tens of thousands of children without a chance to start or finish their primary education. The education of more than 64.000 children is at risk as clashes of armed groups wreak havoc in the Kasai region of DR Congo. As a result, many children will not be able to continue their education the following school year.

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“For the lucky ones whose schools remain open, are far too scared to risk going. They can’t sit their exams as a result,” the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Country Director in DR Congo, Ulrika Blom.

The violence in the region has displaced 1.3 million people so far and almost half of those are children. Many are victims of indiscriminate violence, separated from their parents and recruited by armed groups.

While NRC estimates that 338 schools are abandoned due to fighting, some children are placed in schools that are still up and running in the area. But as displaced families struggle to pay school fees, many children risk being expelled.

In Nganza, a district in Kasai Central province’s capital Kananga, Disangayi Primary School is still open despite the violence. Here, many displaced children take extra classes to prepare for their exams.

Source: NRC. Read full article here.
20 June, 2017