Photo: Maktoob Media
At least 100,000 children in Lebanon could miss the start of the upcoming academic year unless schools damaged during Israeli attacks are repaired before September, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
According to a nationwide assessment carried out by Lebanon's Ministry of Education, 340 public, private and vocational schools were damaged during Israel's war on Lebanon, with 17 of them completely destroyed, Maktoob Media reported.
The assessment identified Nabatieh, south Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, Baalbek-Hermel, Beirut and Mount Lebanon as the worst-affected areas.
UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Marcoluigi Corsi said schools were not merely physical structures but places where children learn, feel secure and begin recovering from crises. He noted that the assessment offered the first comprehensive overview of the damage to Lebanon's education system and stressed that urgent investment was needed to rehabilitate schools before the new academic year begins.
Corsi warned that every additional day children remain out of school increases the risk of learning loss and permanent dropout. He emphasised that education should be viewed as an essential part of recovery rather than something that can wait until reconstruction is complete, adding that rebuilding schools restores hope, offers protection and enables children to continue shaping their futures.
UNICEF also cautioned that another prolonged disruption to education could have lasting effects on children's learning, mental health, overall well-being and future opport
unities.