In addition to jeopardizing their physical and mental health, conflict has a devastating effect on millions of displaced children’s education. To ensure that these children and young people get the opportunities they deserve and can rebuild their home countries someday, the international community must support countries hosting them.
GENEVA – Talent might be universal, but opportunity is not. Throughout my life, I have met numerous schoolchildren and university students who were enjoying their studies, acquiring knowledge and skills, making lifelong friends, and working toward their future before a dramatic, life-changing event took it all away. Suddenly, they were in danger and forced to flee their homes. Their talent remained undiminished, along with their enthusiasm and desire, but the opportunity disappeared – sometimes for good.
In addition to jeopardizing young people’s physical and mental well-being, forced displacement has a devastating effect on their education, imperiling their future health, employment prospects, and incomes. If every adult in the world completed primary and secondary education, according to UNESCO, the global poverty rate would be more than halved. A World Bank study found that each additional school year can increase a girl’s future earning power by 12%. Moreover, adults with a college education and above have been shown to live healthier and longer lives, marry later, and be less likely to experience early pregnancy.
But there’s more. Beyond creating opportunities for career advancement, education can provide a safe environment, particularly for displaced children. For young people uprooted from their homes, playgrounds, sports teams, and friend groups, school offers a protected space, a measure of stability and normality, and the chance to form new connections, enabling children and adolescents to explore and investigate while giving them the tools to thrive in the adult world.
GENEVA – Talent might be universal, but opportunity is not. Throughout my life, I have met numerous schoolchildren and university students who were enjoying their studies, acquiring knowledge and skills, making lifelong friends, and working toward their future before a dramatic, life-changing event took it all away. Suddenly, they were in danger and forced to flee their homes. Their talent remained undiminished, along with their enthusiasm and desire, but the opportunity disappeared – sometimes for good.
In addition to jeopardizing young people’s physical and mental well-being, forced displacement has a devastating effect on their education, imperiling their future health, employment prospects, and incomes. If every adult in the world completed primary and secondary education, according to UNESCO, the global poverty rate would be more than halved. A World Bank study found that each additional school year can increase a girl’s future earning power by 12%. Moreover, adults with a college education and above have been shown to live healthier and longer lives, marry later, and be less likely to experience early pregnancy.
But there’s more. Beyond creating opportunities for career advancement, education can provide a safe environment, particularly for displaced children. For young people uprooted from their homes, playgrounds, sports teams, and friend groups, school offers a protected space, a measure of stability and normality, and the chance to form new connections, enabling children and adolescents to explore and investigate while giving them the tools to thrive in the adult world.