September 16, 2025

Imagine a classroom where over 3 million children should be learning—but the doors are locked, the halls silent. This is the harsh reality in West and Central Africa today. According to a UN report from September 2025, nearly 15,000 schools have closed by mid-2025 because of rising violence and insecurity. Nigeria and Cameroon are the worst-hit countries where conflict has forced millions of families to flee. The UN says this turmoil has disrupted education for “more than 3 million children.” But experts like Busola Rafiat Ojo-oba, a social worker and gender-based violence expert in Lagos, say it's even worse: “over 5 million school children,” with around 500 schools shut just in Nigeria! Why is this happening? In dangerous areas, schools can’t operate because teachers and administrators fear for their lives. Poverty traps families in helplessness, and kids are stuck out of school. Ojo-oba warns that parents are holding girls back to avoid terrifying risks like kidnappings. Efe Johnson, a youth rights advocate in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, explains the sharp impact: “In the Northeast for example, so many schools shut down at the height of the [Boko Haram] insurgency. And the reality is that a lot of those schools never reopened, and they probably never will. Many children who were pushed out of the system never went back. They've just grown up outside the system.” The dangers aren’t only about missing lessons. Boys risk being recruited as child soldiers, while girls face teenage pregnancies that force them from school. The effects of years-long conflict seem endless. In places like Zamfara State in northwest Nigeria—the towns of Anka, Bukuyyum, Maru, Shinkafi, Tsafe, and Zurmi—schools either remain closed or children study with fear. Teacher Umar Rabat says, “The kidnapping and banditry have created a lot of fear, so families—especially those with daughters—will feel like it's safer to just keep them at home than risk them being abducted on their way to school.” On the government front, some steps help. Vehicles and motorcycles are given to security forces to patrol schools day and night, and displaced children are moved to safer spots. Nigeria has set up mini education camps for kids living in conflict zones. Yet, Efe warns, “They are mostly short-lived because if funding runs out or the program stalls, what's next?” Nigeria’s neighbor Ghana isn’t safe either. Nearly 44 schools have shut in the Savannah Region, displacing about 5,000 students. Kofi Asare, executive director of Africa Education Watch, says teachers fled communities after conflicts killed over 30 people in weeks. He calls for reusing COVID-era plans that brought virtual learning solutions during lockdowns, as these can help during conflicts when physical schools close. As Asare puts it, “It is important that countries do not shelve these policies or plans that were adopted during the COVID era. But also education ministers and governments should prioritize putting in place the necessary results to ensure that in times of conflict, the Education and Emergency Plan is triggered immediately.” The clock is ticking for millions of children trapped out of classrooms because of violence. Without strong action, a whole generation risks growing up lost outside the school system, robbed of their future dreams.

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Tags: School closures, West africa, Education disruption, Conflict impact, Nigeria, Child education,