The Tigray Regional Education Bureau stated that due to the non-full implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement and the ongoing social and economic crisis caused by the war, 1.2 million or 46 percent of school-age children are out of school this school year.

The Regional Education Bureau said that out of the 2.53 million students expected to enroll in the Tigray region, only 1.36 million have registered.

The Head of the Education Bureau, Kiros Guesh (PhD), stated in a press conference on Wednesday, “There are 220 schools in Western Tigray alone that have suspended teaching and learning activities.”

Many children reported being forced to drop out of school, migrate, marry before they reached puberty, or engage in forced labor, especially mining.