Learning in a time of conflict
News and Events
Learning in a time of conflict
Continuity of learning is essential for young people displaced by war. On the UN’s International Day to Protect Education From Attack, Jane Mann, Cambridge’s Chief Education Officer, sets out how Cambridge is helping protect the education of children impacted by conflict and other crises, in partnership with local teachers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“According to the recent report by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), the number of attacks on schools during 2024 and 2025 rose by more than 40 percent compared to the previous report. That’s a colossal jump and a global wake-up call. Schools are not only being targeted or becoming collateral damage in crossfire; education buildings are being repurposed for military use at an alarming rate. We know that war inflicts some of the most long-term impacts on learning. As Cambridge University researchers have shown, young Palestinians impacted by conflict are experiencing years of learning loss.
“The total number of children facing disruption to their education from war and other threats is huge. We risk a lost generation. The UN’s Education Cannot Wait estimated in 2025 that over 234 million children are living in emergency or crisis settings and require urgent support to access quality education. That figure is rising and girls are disproportionately affected. Young people who have been forced to leave formal education still want to learn, to train and to find interesting work and build new opportunities, like everyone else. At the same time, international aid budgets which support education in those countries most impacted by conflict and other crises are being dramatically scaled back.
“At Cambridge University Press & Assessment, we’re supporting learning in many conflict-affected places around the world, including some of those highlighted in the latest GCPEA report, such as Ukraine and Gaza. Over the last decade, Cambridge has worked with trusted local partners in many more locations - Lebanon, Bangladesh, Kenya and Iraq to name a few - where children are displaced by war, or by challenges such as persecution or climate change.
“Our focus at Cambridge is helping to put in place the foundation stones of a good education whatever the location. We do this through well-supported teachers, curriculum frameworks, high-quality resources, meaningful assessment and recognition of learning and assessment achievements. These are the principles of quality education we relentlessly apply.
Here are four examples where we have applied those educational principles:
- “All learners need recognition of what they have achieved. In Lebanon, we’re supporting an award-winning NGO called Alsama Project to develop and scale up the G12++, the world’s first qualification designed for displaced youth. We helped the Alsama team to assess learning of young people in the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut so they can go on to further studies. In July, the first group of G12++ students graduated. Some of the Alsama students are about to start online adult learning courses at Cambridge University.
- “Training the trainers is key. We’re helping to train and support teachers in Ukraine some of whom are teaching in underground schools. Through our on-going partnership with Osvitoria, we ran training for school leaders earlier this year which included support on building resilience and addressing trauma. We’re also working with the Ukrainian education ministry to support and encourage English language learning across the country.
- “Another essential is access to high-quality resources. In 2025, we completed a six-year project in partnership with UNICEF to improve the quality of education for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. There are more than a million Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazar camps, the world’s largest refugee settlement, many of whom fled persecution in Myanmar nearly a decade ago. As well as teacher training and helping to create a learning framework linked to the Myanmar curriculum, we reviewed and quality assured the learning materials used in temporary classrooms.
- “Developing curriculum frameworks – programmes of study – sets shared goals for teaching and learning. We developed the curriculum framework and wrote the research recommendations underpinning the Learning Passport, which is a digital learning platform providing adaptable resources for crisis settings. It’s an ambitious partnership with UNICEF and Microsoft which has helped millions of children in more than 50 countries to overcome barriers to learning.
“Cambridge University Press & Assessment understands the power of quality education in building opportunities for learners in challenging settings so that disruption does not mean permanent loss. The world really needs the talents of these young people. We know what good education looks like and we are bringing this insight to work successfully and effectively with local organisations who understand their context and how best to implement within it.
“On this UN Day, we urge governments to do more to protect the right of every child to education. On an individual level, their futures matter. And globally, putting education first can help to create the path to a more peaceful future for us all.”
