Going back to school in a war zone

[Nergal]

 

It's back to school - but for millions the prospect of another school year will not mean new books, bags and subjects. It will be a struggle to get an education against a background of war, conflict and being refugees far from home.

According to Unicef, there are 17 million children of school age who are refugees in countries hit by conflict.

For those who manage to get to school, the UN children's agency says that education in emergency situations can mean classes of 70 pupils and unqualified teachers.

Girls are more than twice as likely as boys to miss out on school entirely in such conflict zones.

Last week, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that the problem of refugee children without access to school was becoming worse rather than better.

Only about a quarter of refugees have access to secondary school education, according to figures from the UNHCR.

Unicef says the damage caused by such emergencies, whether wars or natural disasters, can "span entire childhoods".

Here's a snapshot of the challenges facing some countries for the new school year.