Education is a right even in war: India flags attacks on schools, children at UN

India has called for stronger accountability against those who attack schools and target children during armed conflicts, saying that protecting children without holding perpetrators responsible remains incomplete.

Addressing a UN Security Council open debate on Wednesday, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said education must remain a protected right even during wars and conflicts.

“Education is a right that should endure in times of conflict. It is a right whose fulfilment is among the most powerful contributions to lasting peace,” Parvathaneni said.

He added that India remains committed to protecting children affected by armed conflict and ensuring their right to learn, grow and fulfil their potential.

“Protection without accountability is incomplete. Those who target schools and children with impunity must be held to account,” he said.

The remarks came amid a grim UN assessment showing a sharp rise in violations against children living through conflicts. The UN Secretary-General’s latest report on children and armed conflict stated that violations reached “shocking levels” in 2025, affecting an unprecedented number of children.

According to the report, the UN verified 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children in 2025, the highest number of children impacted since the beginning of the monitoring mandate.

The report highlighted that parties to conflicts continued to violate international humanitarian and human rights laws, causing severe consequences for civilians, with children bearing a disproportionate burden.

It also noted that attacks on schools and hospitals, killing and maiming of children, and denial of humanitarian access continued with widespread impunity.

India pointed to the alarming increase in attacks on educational institutions, noting that attacks on schools rose by 44 per cent in a single year.

Parvathaneni said nearly 473 million children globally — more than one in six children — are living in or fleeing conflict zones, while over 85 million children have no access to education.

“These figures are a damning verdict on humanity’s collective failure to translate commitments into reality on the ground,” he said.

Calling education a foundation for peace and recovery, the Indian envoy said protecting a child’s education means protecting the future of an entire nation.

He highlighted India’s domestic efforts, including the Right to Education framework and the government’s digital learning platform DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), which has expanded access to educational resources through multilingual content and technology-based learning tools.

“Our experience has convinced us that access to digital learning can be the bridge that helps children access education during conflicts,” Parvathaneni said.