Report: U.S. War on Iran Threatens Education of Millions of Children
KAMPONG PRAHOK, Cambodia -- The consequences of the U.S.-led war on Iran are reaching far beyond the battlefield, with soaring fuel prices and mounting economic pressures threatening to push millions of children into poverty and out of school, particularly across developing countries in Asia and Africa, the Associated Press reported Monday.
In a report from Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake, AP documented how the economic fallout of the war is already affecting families far removed from the U.S. aggression. Thirteen-year-old Sou Sreynich dreams
of becoming a teacher, but rising gasoline prices have made it harder for her family to survive and keep her in school.
Sreynich first entered a classroom at age 10, after her mother waited until she was old enough to swim because of fears that the boat journey to school could end in disaster. Her family depends on fishing, but higher fuel prices linked to the war on Iran mean they can no longer afford to travel to deeper waters where fish are more plentiful.
When the family runs short of money, Sreynich misses school to work
with her parents. “I want to complete my studies,” she told AP.
Her experience, AP reported, illustrates a less visible but potentially far-reaching consequence of the war. Unlike the mass school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the damage caused by the conflict is being transmitted through higher fuel, food and transportation costs, placing the greatest burden on families already living on the edge of poverty.
If the war continues, up to 23.4 million additional children could be pushed into poverty by the end of 2026, according to a recent UNICEF report cited by AP. About 80% of those children are expected to be in Africa and Asia.
The increase in energy prices is forcing poor families to make choices between basic necessities and education.
“The Iran war is likely going to force millions of children out of school and could force millions of children to make the decision not to enroll in the first place,” Sabrina Hervey of the Qatar-based Education Above All Foundation told AP.
The consequences are already visible in Vietnam. AP reported that two sisters from a fishing family were forced to leave school after their father lost his fishing job because diesel prices had risen so high that boat owners could no longer afford to go to sea.
The family, which has nine children and was already struggling with debt, could not afford to keep everyone fed and in school. The girls moved to Hanoi and worked long hours in a restaurant. For the 13-year-old, the work was illegal under Vietnam’s child-labor laws.
The Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation eventually intervened, allowing the girls to return to school.
Michael Brosowski of the organization said the economic consequences of the war were unfolding gradually but could be devastating once families reached a financial breaking point.
When that happens, families often decide which children can remain in school and which must work, he said. “It’s the tipping point for a lot of families,” Brosowski told AP.
Children forced out of school face dangers beyond lost educational opportunities, including greater exposure to exploitation, trafficking and homelessness.
The war is also increasing the cost of running schools. Higher fuel prices make it more expensive to transport students and teachers and deliver basic educational supplies. Teachers and aid workers face greater costs when traveling to remote communities, while governments confronting higher food and energy bills have less money available for education.
On Cambodia’s Tonle Sap, where supplies must be transported by boat, the effect is particularly severe.
“Even the electricity to run this lab is 10 times higher,” Samphors Vorn of the nonprofit Aide et Action told AP.
The economic shock is spreading across developing countries that depend heavily on imported energy. AP reported that rising fertilizer costs and falling remittances are adding to the pressure, while higher fuel costs threaten years of progress in education and poverty reduction.
Bangladesh is among the countries facing the risk of further financial strain. Rising fuel costs and the expense of government subsidies could leave less money for health care and education, according to a UN Development Programme report cited by AP.
Girls could be particularly vulnerable. In parts of South Asia, families facing financial hardship are more likely to prioritize boys’ education, according to Arshad Malik of Save the Children International. Economic pressure could therefore increase the number of girls leaving school and contribute to higher rates of child marriage.
South Asia already accounts for 45% of the world’s child brides, according to UNICEF figures cited by AP.
The consequences also extend to school feeding programs. More than 466 million children worldwide receive at least one meal a day at school, according to the UN World Food Programme. Those meals help keep children in school while improving nutrition, concentration and learning.
But rising transportation and fertilizer costs, as well as disruptions to food supplies, could place those programs under additional pressure, particularly in countries in West and Central Africa that depend heavily on imported food.
In northern Nigeria, AP reported, local health and aid workers are seeing more children relapse into malnutrition as families struggle with the economic consequences of the conflict.
The report thus traces a direct economic chain from the war to some of the world’s most vulnerable children: military conflict drives energy-market disruption; higher fuel prices increase transportation and food costs; families lose income and purchasing power; governments face greater fiscal pressure; and education becomes one of the services most at risk.
For children such as Sreynich, the consequences are immediate. She already began school years later than most children her age. Now, the rising cost of fuel is forcing her family to choose between earning enough to survive and keeping her in the classroom.
“I’m really afraid to see what’s going to happen,” Hervey told AP.