The United Nation's children fund, UNICEF, revealed in a report today that more than 13 million children are being denied an education after thousands of schools have been made unusable due to conflict.

The report indicated that in six countries and territories throughout the region, more than 8,850 schools are no longer usable due to violence.

According to Yahoo News, the report painted a harrowing picture of daily life for children attempting to attend school in areas riddled with fighting.

"It detailed cases of students and teachers coming under direct fire, classrooms used as makeshift bomb shelters and children having to cross active front lines just to take their exams," the article said.

The report analyzed education in Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Yemen and found that Syria, which has been in civil war for years, has the most dire situation.

"One in four schools have been closed since the conflict erupted, causing more than two million children to drop out and putting close to half a million in danger of losing their schooling."

52,000 Syrian teachers, the article said, have abandoned their positions.

In many of the countries analyzed, schools no longer provided a safe place for children. Instead, schools have become frequent targets of violence, with the UN estimating 214 attacks on schools in the area last year alone.

"UNICEF called for better informal education services in countries affected by school closures and for donor nations to prioritise education funding throughout the Middle East," said the article.

"'With more than 13 million children already driven from classrooms by conflict, it is no exaggeration to say that the education prospects of a generation of children are in the balance,' it said."

Read the full article here and comment with your thoughts below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

09/03/2015