The International Day of Education, observed on January 24, provides an opportunity to reflect on the year just gone by and focus on the challenges ahead. In 2025, attacks on education continued across the world, leaving children and teachers vulnerable, destroying schools, and disrupting learning.

From Gaza to Sudan, Nigeria to Myanmar, and in Southeast Asia, schools are being targeted in situations of armed conflict. These attacks are not isolated incidents but part of a long-term pattern of violence against education.

In the ASEAN region specifically, 2025 ended with renewed clashes on the Thailand-Cambodia border. Fighting resumed on December 7 and continued through the end of the month, resulting in the closure of over 1,000 schools in both countries. 

As children across the world returned to classrooms after the holiday season, thousands of students in the region have been forced to stay home, missing vital learning opportunities. The disruption to education is compounded by the destruction of school facilities and the risk posed to teachers and students in conflict-affected areas.

This situation is an urgent reminder that protecting education during armed conflict is first and foremost a core responsibility of governments. Under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, schools are considered civilian objects and must not be targeted. 

Attacks on schools constitute violations of international law, and when deliberate, as seen in contexts such as Gaza, may amount to war crimes. National........

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