The Iran war is silently disrupting education for millions of vulnerable children, forcing families to make impossible choices between school and survival. Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused outright school closures, the war’s impact is less visible but equally devastating, particularly for the world’s poorest families.
In Cambodia’s floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake, children like 13-year-old Sou Sreynich face immense challenges in accessing education. Sreynich, who dreams of becoming a teacher, only started school at age 10, when her mother deemed her a strong enough swimmer to safely navigate the lake’s waters. Now, rising fuel prices caused by the war are making it even harder for families to afford the boat trips to school.
The hidden cost of the Iran war on education
The war’s ripple effects are pushing families to the brink, forcing them to choose between paying for food, fuel, rent, and electricity, or keeping their children in school. Sabrina Hervey of the Qatar-based Education Above All Foundation warns that the war is likely to force millions of children out of school and prevent millions more from enrolling in the first place.
In Vietnam, sisters Ly, 16, and Nhi, 13, have drifted in and out of school as their fishing family struggles to make ends meet. With their father’s job lost due to soaring diesel prices, the family could no longer afford to keep all nine children fed and in school. The girls dropped out and moved to Hanoi to work long hours in a restaurant, exposing them to dangerous working conditions and, in Nhi’s case, illegal child labor.
The tipping point for vulnerable families
Michael Brosowski of the Hanoi-based Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation explains that when families reach a financial breaking point, they often go into triage—keeping some children enrolled while pulling others out to work. The children not in school are far more vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, and homelessness.
The war’s impact extends beyond individual families, affecting entire communities and nations. Higher fuel prices are driving up the costs of nearly every aspect of education, from transporting students and teachers to stocking classrooms with supplies. Governments grappling with rising food and energy bills are left with less money to spend on education.
The global reach of the crisis
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that if the war continues, it could push up to 23.4 million more children into poverty by the end of the year, with 80% of those children in Africa and Asia. The crisis is threatening years of progress in education and poverty reduction, particularly in developing countries reliant on imported energy.
In Bangladesh, the war is straining the government’s finances, with rising costs for fuel and subsidies leaving less money for health care and education. In South Asia, girls are likely to be affected more as families tend to prioritize sons during economic hardships, potentially leading to more girls dropping out of school and an increase in child marriages.
The crisis also threatens school meal programs that help keep children in school and support their healthy development. With the conflict disrupting fertilizer shipments and raising transport costs, these programs could come under pressure, particularly in countries in West and Central Africa that rely heavily on imported food.
As the Iran war continues, the silent disruption of education for vulnerable children grows more severe. The international community must act to support these families and ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive.
