(The Guardian) – The storming of a military school in Peshawar by the Taliban, who killed 132 children and nine teachers, horrified the world. But it wasn’t an isolated event; attacks on educational institutions seem to be increasing. Schools and universities everywhere – from Nigeria to Kenya and Afghanistan – have been targeted in recent years. Last year the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) published a report that documented deliberate attacks on schools, universities, their students and staff in order to provide data that could develop more effective policy in this area. It analysed conflicts in 70 countries between 2009 and 2013 and categorised how far they’d been affected. For example, places categorised as “very heavily affected” had experienced more than 1,000 attacks on schools and universities over the four years. These included arson, missile strikes, looting and armed occupation by army forces or guerrilla groups.
