"Imagine your class being interrupted by the sound of bullets hitting the school walls, and your teacher telling you to lie on the floor for safety," said Giovanni Rizzo, Country Director for NRC in Colombia. "Situations like this have occurred in at least 10 of Colombia’s 32 departments, shattering futures across the country."
"Schools must not continue to be scenes of violence and terror. It is urgent that all armed actors, both the armed forces and organised armed groups, unequivocally respect schools and their access routes.”
Attacks on education, documented by NRC in the areas where the organisation has a presence, rose from 107 in the first seven months of 2023 to 125 in the same period of 2024. The majority of attacks on education are related to the military use or occupation of schools and the use of anti-personnel mines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices in schools or on the roads leading to them. NRC also received reports of forced recruitment of children on their way to school.
The situation is particularly concerning in the Cauca department, south-west Colombia. According to NRC data, attacks on education in this department tripled in the first seven months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The security situation in Cauca has deteriorated due to ongoing violence by armed groups and stalled peace negotiations with the government. Furthermore, at least three out of 10 attacks on education in the country were reported in the Cauca department during this year.
“Right now, a helicopter is firing near the Sinai village. The clashes have been constant. It sounds horrible, the bombs are loud. It's terrible. The same thing is happening in other [educational] sites," said a teacher describing the situation in the municipality of Argelia, in Cauca.
Despite efforts by educational authorities at national and local levels, nearly nine out of 10 reported incidents still require attention, particularly in terms of the safety of students and teachers, psychological first aid, training in mine risk education, as well as the repair and improvement school infrastructure.
"The willingness of all armed actors for peace must also be measured by the reduction of their attacks on education," said Rizzo. “Colombia also needs international support. Of the USD 16 million requested to address the education needs, USD 9 million is needed to provide education for those affected by the conflict.”
Notes to editors:
- September 9 marks the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
- According to an NRC report, a total of 7,723 people were affected by attacks on education in the context of the armed conflict (7,237 students, 403 teachers, 83 school staff) during the period January to July 2024 in the areas that NRC monitors.
- NRC data shows over 32,000 students, teachers, and school staff affected by education attacks from January 2022 to July 2024 in areas where the organisation monitors.
- The NRC report is not a comprehensive analysis of all attacks on education in Colombia. The data and information presented in this report only reflect the situation in areas where the organisation has a presence, and its categories of analysis are limited to those related to the Safe Schools Declaration.
- Read NRC’s full report on attacks on education in Colombia here (available in Spanish).
- The international community has provided USD 6.2 million of the USD 16.1 million requested for education needs.
- NRC promotes and supports the inclusion of displaced children and youth into formal education systems, so they can benefit from an accredited education that allows them to progress through all levels of the education system. In emergency situations, NRC promotes the continuity of educational activities in safe spaces.
- NRC Colombia is grateful for the funding for its emergency humanitarian response from the European Union (ECHO).
For more information, please contact:
- NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329
- NRC Colombia: Ana Milena Ayala, ayala@nrc.no, +57 323 274 6021
