Across the world, protracted conflicts from Ukraine to Sudan, from Myanmar to Yemen, have shown how war shatters not only infrastructure but the social and educational foundations on which communities rely to recover. In every crisis, education systems are among the first casualties and among the last to be rebuilt, even though they are central to restoring stability, supporting reconciliation and enabling long-term development.
It is within this wider landscape of global insecurity and conflict that the Global Campaign for Education issues this appeal. The devastation in Gaza reflects a broader pattern in which children and young people bear the heaviest burdens of violence, and where the right to learn becomes a critical measure of whether a society can rebuild with dignity and hope.
The future of an entire generation of children and young people is under grave threat, and the very essence of the right to education, guaranteed under international law, is being eroded. The destructive war and the ongoing siege have resulted in the devastation of the education system. According to the most recent UNICEF article, ninety-seven per cent of schools in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed. More than 18,216 students and 786 teachers have been killed, with many more injured or missing. Thousands of classrooms and education facilities lie in ruins. Over eighty per cent of children are experiencing severe psychological and social distress that is undermining their development and their ability to learn.
A call to save the right to education
The Global Campaign for Education affirms that rebuilding Gaza’s education system is not solely an engineering task. It is a legal and human rights obligation and a humanitarian and developmental necessity. Education remains a foundation of resilience, a source of hope and a pathway to rebuilding the lives and futures of the Palestinian people. We therefore continue to call for an urgent and permanent end to the war in Gaza and a comprehensive educational and humanitarian response plan, aligned with national and international efforts, which includes:
- Reconstruction of schools, classrooms and education facilities to allow learning to resume in safety and dignity.
- Psychological and pedagogical support for teachers, together with psychosocial programmes for learners, recognising that human rebuilding is as essential as physical rebuilding.
- Provision of learning materials and modern technological tools that support continuity of education during crises and conflict.
- Development of holistic support programmes for children and young people that address health, psychological and social needs, enabling them to regain their right to learn, develop and participate.
- Coordination of international efforts under a clear United Nations framework to ensure fairness in the distribution of assistance and to reach those most affected.
The situation in Gaza is not only an educational emergency but a profound disruption to the very processes through which societies develop, cohere and sustain their collective identity. Education shapes how communities understand their past, build shared values in the present and create the skills and capabilities needed for a secure future.
When schools, teachers and learners are lost, the damage extends far beyond the classroom. It weakens the social fabric, interrupts the transmission of culture and knowledge, and constrains the ability of a people to rebuild and thrive. The devastation facing Palestinians therefore represents a direct threat to their long-term development and their capacity to maintain their cultural and national identity. To save education in Gaza is to protect the foundations on which the future of its society depends.
The Global Campaign for Education calls on all partners at local, regional and international levels to act without delay to secure the resources needed, protect surviving education institutions and rebuild the system as a right and a humanitarian imperative, not a political choice.
To this end, the Global Campaign for Education will support its member organisations in placing pressure on governments and multilateral organisations in achieving these objectives. Education in Gaza cannot wait. Together, we must begin the work of rebuilding hope.