Six million more children are now at risk of being deprived of school by the end of 2026 due to the large reduction in international aid to education, UNICEF warned yesterday (Tuesday).

According to its analysis, official development assistance (ODA) earmarked for education is expected to shrink by $3.2 billion by next year, or in other words, by 24% compared to 2023. Almost 80% of this reduction is due to cuts announced by three countries: the US, Germany, and France.

If these cuts become reality, UNICEF estimates that an additional 6 million children are at risk of being deprived of school in 2026, 30% of whom are living in “humanitarian emergencies”. That number is equivalent to “emptying all primary schools in Germany and Italy,” the United Nations Children’s Fund said in its press release.

In total, they would increase to 278 million the number of children deprived of schooling.

“Every dollar cut from education is not just a budgetary decision; it judges the future of a child at stake,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell pointed out.

“Education, particularly in emergencies, often becomes a lifeline, bringing children into contact with basic services such as health, protection and nutritious food. It also offers the best chance for every child to escape poverty” to “build a better life,” he added.

The agency is particularly concerned about countries where humanitarian crises are unfolding: these are precisely where the most blatant cuts are taking place. Thus, in some, such as Haiti, Somalia or the Palestinian territories, it estimates that 10% of the national budget for education will be lost. Particularly about refugees from Myanmar’s Rohingya minority, 350,000 children may be deprived of education “permanently.”

UNICEF further warns against the impact on girls’ education due to funding cuts for specific education programmes and for the construction of toilets for them.

Geographically, central and west Africa are at risk of being hit hardest, with 1.9 million children threatened with being deprived of school. Ivory Coast and Mali are among the countries where the impact will be the heaviest.

In addition to those who will be completely excluded from education systems, another 290 million children internationally are at risk of suffering a decline in the quality of their education, UNICEF adds.