International Education Day 2023: EU Strongly Condemns Attacks on Education

On the International Day of Education celebrated today (January 24, 2023), the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said that the European Union condemns all attacks against education which are increasing around the world, and expects every person can access education in their country.

In his statement, Borrell recalled the situation in Afghanistan where the Taliban are banning women from attending universities and other educational institutions, as well as the Russian aggression destroying more than 3,000 Ukrainian educational institutions since February 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, Erudera.com reports.

“The EU strongly condemns all attacks against education and expects all children and young people to be guaranteed their right to education,” Borrell said.

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Furthermore, the EU representative highlighted the urgent need to ensure funding for education and future-oriented learning that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, positive events in the field of education during the past years were also mentioned in the letter, including the impact of Erasmus+ program, under which nearly 13 million participants - students, staff, teachers, and trainees had the chance to study and work abroad and higher education institutions in partner countries to cooperate with each other.

“The EU also works with partner countries to strengthen cooperation on research and innovation, for example through the Horizon Europe programme. Moreover, the EU is putting significant efforts in making education systems fit for the green transformation and the digital age,” the statement reads.

Borrell also emphasized the importance of providing quality education, saying that "quality education is the smartest and the most powerful investment" for the future, and this is why EU’s Global Gateway strategy aims to offer support teachers and make teaching a more attractive profession.

On the International Day of Education this year, UNESCO also called on the international community to make extra efforts to promote the right to education for all, regardless of their age, place, or background.

Last year, UNICEF and UNESCO issued a joint statement on International Education Day, calling on the private sector to cooperate with the two organizations for a better academic year. In 2022, the main call was for more actions to overcome learning loss during the pandemic.

International Day of Education is celebrated every year on January 24 to promote the crucial role of education globally. This year is the fifth annual International Day of Education and has been celebrated under the theme “to invest in people, prioritize education”.

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