The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said school air-raid alerts cut into Ukrainian children’s learning and cited reports of child deaths in Myanmar, underscoring conflict’s effects on education and civilian safety.
By Oct. 20, air-raid warnings had interrupted an average of 34 hours of school time per child since Ukraine’s 2026-27 academic year began, more than 13% of scheduled learning hours, UNICEF said.
Alerts occurred on 65.9% of school days in September and October 2026, compared with 37.4% in the same months of 2025. In Kyiv, school-hour alerts numbered 71 in September, up from 12 a year earlier, the agency said.
In Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Kharkiv regions, school-time alarms exceeded 60 hours, affecting more than 560,000 children, UNICEF said. The agency said the lost time amounted to about a quarter of scheduled learning hours. Katia, a 15-year-old student in Mykolaiv region, told UNICEF: “It is difficult to concentrate and learn properly in these conditions.”
The United Nations has verified nearly 2,000 attacks on educational facilities in Ukraine since the full-scale war began, including about 270 in 2026, UNICEF said. The agency is working with Ukraine’s government and partners on school shelters, learning recovery and mental health support.
In Myanmar, UNICEF cited reports that an Oct. 31 airstrike on a school in Loikaw Township, Kayah State, killed three children and injured five. The school was being used by displaced families and children. UNICEF also cited reports of further weekend strikes in Rakhine State, including an attack on a temporary health care facility that reportedly killed a newborn and health workers.
UNICEF said it is coordinating with partners to assess needs and assist affected children and families in Myanmar. It called on all parties to protect children and civilian infrastructure.
