Iran War Puts Education Of Poor Children At Risk

She first entered a classroom at the age of 10, when most Cambodian children had already spent years in school. Her mother had waited until she was old enough to swim, fearing that the boat journey to school could end in a capsizing — a concern shared by many families living on Cambodia's Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.

Now, surging gasoline prices linked to the Iran war have added another burden. Unlike the outright school closures seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, the war's impact on education is less visible but is falling hardest on the poorest families.

Higher fuel costs are making it more expensive for students and teachers to travel to school while also increasing the cost of running education programmes as governments face growing pressure on their budgets.

On Tonle Sap, where boats are the main means of transport, climate change has already made life more difficult through increasingly unpredictable floods and droughts. Teachers at Sreynich's school say 10 students have drowned over the years.

If the war continues, it could push up to 23.4 million additional children into poverty by the end of the year, according to a recent UNICEF report. About 80 per cent of those children are expected to be in Africa and Asia.

Vulnerable Children At Risk

Most mornings, a gas-powered boat moves through Kampong Prahok, often steered by students barely older than those boarding it. It stops alongside floating homes as children in crisp uniforms climb aboard, carefully keeping their schoolbags dry.

Like many families on Tonle Sap, Sreynich's family depends on fishing for its livelihood. They also earn money picking chilli peppers and gutting fish for others. Rising fuel prices mean the family can no longer afford to travel to deeper waters where fish are more plentiful.

When money is tight, Sreynich sometimes misses a day or two of school to work alongside her parents. She worries about every absence.

"I want to complete my studies," she said.

For families already struggling to survive, the war's ripple effects are forcing difficult choices over whether to spend limited money on food, fuel, rent and electricity or keep their children in school.

"The Iran war is likely going to force millions of children out of school and could force millions of children to make the decision not to enroll in the first place," said Sabrina Hervey of the Qatar-based Education Above All Foundation.

In Southeast Asia, some children have already dropped out to work.

Ly, 16, and her sister Nhi, 13, are two of nine children from a fishing family on Vietnam's rocky northern coast. Their family had struggled for years to keep the children in school.

Their father lost his fishing job after diesel prices rose so sharply that boat owners could no longer afford to go out to sea. Burdened by debt, the family survived on his odd jobs, but the income was insufficient to feed all nine children and keep them in school.

The sisters left school and moved to Hanoi, where they worked long hours in a restaurant and were exposed to sharp tools, hot surfaces and heavy lifting. For 13-year-old Nhi, the employment was also illegal under child labour laws.

In April, the Hanoi-based Blue Dragon Children's Foundation intervened and helped the sisters return to school.

The war's impact has unfolded gradually but has been devastating, said Michael Brosowski of the foundation.

When families reach a financial breaking point, they often "go into triage", keeping some children in school while sending others to work, he said. Children who leave school are more vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and homelessness.

"It's the tipping point for a lot of families," Brosowski said.

Higher fuel prices are increasing the cost of almost every aspect of education, from transporting students and teachers to supplying classrooms with pencils and chalk. Teachers and aid workers are also facing higher costs to reach remote communities.

Governments, meanwhile, are dealing with rising food and energy bills, leaving less money available for education.

In Cambodia, the cost of supplies on Tonle Sap is already high because they have to be transported by boat.

"Even the electricity to run this lab is 10-times higher," said Samphors Vorn of Aide et Action, a nonprofit supporting the school.

War Disrupts Education Worldwide

Developing countries that depend heavily on imported energy have been among those most exposed to the disruption caused by the war. Rising fertiliser prices and falling remittances are putting additional pressure on smaller economies.

Bangladesh, whose economy was already under strain, faces a threat to years of progress in education and poverty reduction. Rising fuel and subsidy costs could put further pressure on government finances and leave less money for healthcare and education, according to a UN Development Programme report.

Girls are likely to be particularly affected in some South Asian countries, where families often prioritise boys' education, said Arshad Malik of Save the Children International.

Economic hardship could lead to more girls dropping out of school and increase the risk of child marriage, he said. South Asia accounts for 45 per cent of the world's child brides, the highest share of any region, according to UNICEF.

School meal programmes could also come under pressure. More than 466 million children worldwide receive at least one meal a day at school, according to the UN World Food Programme. Such programmes help keep children in school, improve concentration and learning, and support healthy brain development.

These programmes could face growing pressure as the conflict disrupts fertiliser shipments and increases transport costs, particularly in West and Central African countries that rely heavily on imported food, Hervey said.

Across northern Nigeria, local health and aid workers are reporting that more children are suffering from malnutrition again.

"I'm really afraid to see what's going to happen," Hervey said.