School closures in Burkina Faso, due to insecurity, are increasing with now more than 6,000 schools affected, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). ” More than a million children are impacted “, explains Marine Olivesi, advocacy manager of the NRC.
In Burkina Faso, school closures continue to accelerate. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), they have increased by 40% since the end of the last school year. Half of the schools closed in West and Central Africa are in Burkina. The cause: the insecurity that continues to gain ground.
For Marine Olivesi, NRC advocacy manager, the response to this education crisis must be accelerated. ” There were over 4,000 schools closed in Burkina at the end of last school yearshe reminds at the microphone of Gaelle Laleix. Since the beginning of 2023, we are now at more than 6,000, so that’s about one in four schools in the country, and more than a million children are impacted by these school closures. “.
” Only a quarter of this million children have managed to find their way back to school.
She continues: “ Only a quarter of this million children have managed to find their way back to school, thanks to relocated schools or schools that have opened in places of displacement. There is a mechanism for the redeployment of teachers which is already in place, but which must be accelerated. It would also be necessary to reopen or relocate more classrooms in the displacement centers and also to split the school slots in the schools which are still operational. »
Marine Olivesi concludes: “ But it’s obviously a job that also requires a lot of financial support. However, we know that the humanitarian response in Burkina is underfunded. Last year, barely 40% of the humanitarian response was funded, and the education sector was the least funded of all in Burkina Faso. »
► Read also Unicef warns of the deterioration of the situation of children in the Sahel