The difficult return to school in the Global South: children suffer the effects of international cuts, economic crises, and disasters

Returning to school in countries experiencing humanitarian crises has historically not been an easy task . But 2025 will be even more complex: in addition to unfulfilled commitments to aid funding and child protection, there are also cuts in international cooperation , the human and material damage caused by multiple disasters , and the impact of the economic crises of recent months.

In a recent report , UNICEF estimates that six million more children could be out of school by the end of 2026, adding to the total of 272 million children currently without access to education. The same document predicts that Official Development Assistance (ODA) for education will be reduced by $3.2 billion (€2.726 billion), a 24% decrease compared to 2023. The most affected regions will be West, Central and North Africa and the Middle East, where the ravages of violence, poverty, and climate change also converge.

The world is also failing in its funding of humanitarian needs. The NGO Educo warns, based on data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), that the education in emergencies (EiE) sector has only raised $344 million, barely covering 13.5% of identified educational needs. Although the European Union has been the main funder of EiE (contributing 43% of the funds), the withdrawal of the United States (which financed another 17%) will be a severe blow to education finances.

This is the outlook for the return to school in some countries or regions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The Sahel: cornered by violence and floods

Children in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, some of the countries that make up the Sahel region of Africa, will return to school in October. That is, if all goes well. Edouard Ndeye, Educo's regional director there, explains that the start of classes can sometimes be delayed until November or December as a result of flooding and the "lack of organization in the system." "In recent years, we have suffered severe flooding that has affected classes because schools are used as shelters for the affected population or simply become inaccessible," says Ndeye. Last year, between June and September, for example, torrential rains left nearly 550 dead, more than two million homeless, and damaged infrastructure in Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Mali. Due to the disaster, the education ministers of Mali and Niger ordered the start of classes to be postponed until November, delaying access to education for 8.5 million children.

Nor is it easy to guarantee access to or continued attendance at classes in the epicenter of global terrorism . Insecurity in the Central Sahel has displaced more than 2.9 million people—half of them children—and more than 8,000 schools have closed, according to a report by the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel in April. Burkina Faso was one of the worst affected countries, with 5,000 schools suspended and 430,000 students out of the classroom. According to Ndeye, there is also a shortage of teachers who are unable or afraid to enter some areas due to the violence.

And there are no funds to address this crisis. UNICEF's appeal for children in the Central Sahel is for $489.7 million, but as of June, funding had barely reached 7%. "A few years ago, the Sahel received international attention. But since the conflicts erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, that attention has eroded," laments Edouard Ndeye, Educo's regional director in the Sahel, where the NGO has a presence in three countries. "Global problems really impact our ability to intervene as international actors on the ground," says Ndeye.

Bangladesh: Fewer funds in the country with the second highest rate of child labor

Cuts to international aid have hit the new school year in Bangladesh, which begins in January, hard. “For example,” says an Educo report, “UNICEF has been forced to close more than 6,400 learning centers in the Cox's Bazar camps [one of the largest refugee camps in the world], leaving some 300,000 Rohingya refugee children at risk of losing their education.”

Hamid Abdul, director of Educo Bangladesh and a specialist in the NGO sector for some 30 years, warns that the closure of USAID has meant the end of hundreds of educational projects and operational problems for different organizations trying to keep this right afloat in a country shaken in 2024 by the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina , who had been in power for almost 20 years. “Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, leader of the interim government, knows the NGO and donor sectors and has tried to recover [resources] and talk to the agencies,” says Abdul, but acknowledges that uncertainty remains.

The expert asserts that the cost of education has risen for families, and that the poorest are forced to choose "between survival and education." The cost per student in primary school has risen by up to 25%, and in secondary school, by up to 15%, he argues. This is problematic in a country where the absenteeism rate is already high. According to the most recent National Child Labor Survey (NCLS) from 2022, 47% of children in the country are not attending school, which has been compulsory since 1990. Those who are not in the classroom are working . In the country, 3.54 million children financially support their families.

Afghanistan: another course without them

This school year in Afghanistan, which typically begins in March, coinciding with spring and the Persian New Year, more than 2.2 million girls have been unable to exercise their right to education due to restrictions imposed by the Taliban regime, which returned to power in 2021 and prohibits women from accessing formal education after sixth grade. If the restrictions continue, the number will rise to more than four million by 2030, according to UNICEF estimates.

“There is little hope that schools will reopen,” laments Fabio Checcacci, country head in Afghanistan for the NGO WeWorld, in a phone call with this newspaper. “Most girls [from sixth grade onwards] have turned to private classes, where they study subjects such as computer science, English, painting, and sewing. However, with the tightening of restrictions, access has become increasingly difficult,” explains Checcacci. While there are alternatives in Afghanistan such as private classes, madrasas—private schools, now with a strongly religious imprint—, clandestine schools , virtual classes, or broadcasts of educational content on television, these are not accessible to the entire population. “These options work, but not everyone can do them due to lack of money or internet access,” says Checcacci.

There is little hope that schools will reopen.

Fabio Checcacci, WeWorld Country Manager for Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, 80% of Afghan girls and women are excluded from education and employment, according to the latest Afghanistan Gender Index published by UN Women. This, in turn, widens the gender gap. Only 24% of women are part of the labor force, compared to 89% of men.

For boys, the future doesn't look much better either. "The system for boys has continued under new ideological controls. The Taliban have significantly expanded religious education and reformed the curriculum: secular subjects such as human rights, equality, and pluralism have been eliminated, and teaching now emphasizes religious content aligned with Taliban ideology. In schools and universities that remain open to male students, strict discipline is enforced," Checcacci explains.

This academic year has also seen the massive return of Afghan refugees from countries such as Pakistan and Iran. Since September 2023, more than four million Afghans have returned, and of these, 1.5 million did so in 2025 , pressured by Pakistan's decision not to extend the refugee stay. This puts a strain on the education system. "Many communities are already facing overcrowded classrooms, a lack of teachers, and limited teaching materials," says WeWorld's director in Afghanistan.

Additionally, the earthquake that struck Kunar province on August 31 not only left 2,200 dead, but also damaged at least 40 schools in the area.

Bolivia: Measles and wildfires force children back into virtual reality

In Bolivia, the economic crisis , a measles outbreak, and wildfires have put children and adolescents' education in jeopardy and predict increasingly difficult returns to school. Since 2023, the country has been mired in a currency crisis and problems in the oil industry that have pushed the economy to the limit, with cumulative inflation of more than 17% , according to the most recent data from the Central Bank of Bolivia. Viviana Farfán, director of Educo Bolivia, explains that some children and adolescents have been forced to drop out of school to work and help support the family economy. Officially, the Ministry of Education reports a 2.83% dropout rate as of 2023; however, Farfán maintains that the figure has increased.

The other major headache for school education is measles, which, according to Farfán, has increased as a result of families' reluctance to complete their children's vaccination schedules. In June, the government declared a national health emergency due to the increase in cases. As of August, there were 254 active cases in the country ; of these, 85% have been diagnosed in children and young people between the ages of 1 and 19. If an educational district detects a rise in infections, it can request the suspension of in-person classes and send students to virtual classes. "This is a problem in a country where not everyone has cell phones or tablets. Many also don't have the money to pay for megabyte credits. This limits their access to education," says Farfán.

To top it all off, the fires in the South American country have also led to the cancellation of in-person classes. In 2024, the country experienced a series of wildfires that devastated 12.6 million hectares, according to data from the Tierra Foundation . In August 2025 alone, the government confirmed more than 700 active hotspots . “Although the fires occur far from large cities, the smoke reaches the cities, affecting air quality. In some cases, schools have been closed, and the same problem with virtual classes is emerging,” adds Farfán.