28.5 million children denied access to education in conflict-plagued countries: UN

A total of 28.5 million children are reportedly denied access to education in conflict-plagued countries, according to leaders from governments and international organizations who discussed the issue with the UN General Assembly at the second 'Education Cannot Wait' event.

The United Nations special envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown said that there are nearly one million Syrian refugee children, and the opportunity is to take immediate action and demonstrate the promise of education for all.

According to reports, more than half of the world's 57 million primary-school-age children who are out of school live in countries scarred by war and conflict, compared to 42 percent in 2008.

Save the Children states that conflicts, fighting and displacement in countries such as Syria, the Central African Republic, Mali, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have largely contributed to this increase.

Alice Albright, chief executive officer of the Global Partnership for Education, said that education in emergency situations is severely underfunded, and the amount must be doubled along with improving coordination among governments, donors and humanitarian agencies.

CEO of Save the Children Norway, Tove Romsaas Wang said that education cannot and must not wait and they all have a duty to the children of the world to deliver good quality education regardless of the hostile conditions under which they live.

UNESCO director-general, Irina Bokova said that education must be built into peace building, and must be tied with longer-term development adding that it is essential in the push to 2015 and in the global agenda that follows.