Conflict and displacement leave thousands of children in limbo as classrooms remain closed across contested areas of Tigray.
Six years without school in Ethiopia
Mai-Tsebri, northern Ethiopia
In parts of northern Ethiopia, schools have remained shut for nearly six years. The consequences have been devastating for children and families displaced by conflict and crisis.
Mai-Tsebri, Tselemti and Dima woredas (districts), now referred to as contested zones, are home to thousands of people displaced within their own county. The majority fled from Welkait, Humera, Sheraro and other conflict-affected parts of Western Tigray.
According to mid-2024 estimates from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), between 40,000 and 85,000 people who have been internally displace are living in these areas. Many have settled in informal shelters, schools, churches and host communities.
Education disrupted, dreams on hold
Before the conflict, children in these areas attended 61 primary and six secondary schools. Today, many of these schools are damaged, looted or used as shelters. The coronavirus pandemic triggered initial school closures in 2019, but conflict soon erased all chances of reopening.
More than 41,000 children are currently out of school in the three woredas, with no access to learning. Nearly half of them are girls. With the absence of formal education systems, a generation is at risk of being left behind.
Mai-Tsebri, northern Ethiopia
In parts of northern Ethiopia, schools have remained shut for nearly six years. The consequences have been devastating for children and families displaced by conflict and crisis.
Mai-Tsebri, Tselemti and Dima woredas (districts), now referred to as contested zones, are home to thousands of people displaced within their own county. The majority fled from Welkait, Humera, Sheraro and other conflict-affected parts of Western Tigray.
According to mid-2024 estimates from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), between 40,000 and 85,000 people who have been internally displace are living in these areas. Many have settled in informal shelters, schools, churches and host communities.
Education disrupted, dreams on hold
Before the conflict, children in these areas attended 61 primary and six secondary schools. Today, many of these schools are damaged, looted or used as shelters. The coronavirus pandemic triggered initial school closures in 2019, but conflict soon erased all chances of reopening.
More than 41,000 children are currently out of school in the three woredas, with no access to learning. Nearly half of them are girls. With the absence of formal education systems, a generation is at risk of being left behind.
“I still want to be a teacher”
Mihret Tsegu is 13 years old. She lives with her mother and younger brother in the Daero displacement site, just outside Mai-Tsebri.
“I was in second grade when we stopped going to school,” she says. “First because of coronavirus. Then the war started, and we had to run.”
Now, Mihret spends her days helping her mother with chores. She misses the classroom and her teachers.
“I still want to be a teacher,” she says. “But I don’t know when school will start again.”
“I’ve been stuck in second grade for six years”
Twelve-year-old Heluf Gebere, also displaced from Western Tigray, was born in Humera. He had just started second grade when his family fled to Daero.
“I liked school,” he says. “We had a big football field. We used to play every day after class. Our teachers were kind.”
Heluf dreams of becoming a doctor. But today, like many of his peers, he worries about the future. “My brothers and sisters are ahead of me in school. I’ve been stuck in second grade for six years.”
Steps toward recovery
In early 2024, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) launched the Better Learning Programme (BLP) and Child Education Pathways (CEP) across three displacement sites: Daero, Adi-Harush, and Awura Godana.
“For the first time in years, children gathered again in learning spaces,” says Haile Tadesse, NRC in Ethiopia’s education specialist. “They sang, played, and connected with their peers in a safe and supportive environment.”
The programme currently supports more than 1,700 children, helping them regain confidence and rekindle their interest in education.
Bringing education back to contested areas remains difficult. The absence of civil administration and competing interests between actors complicate coordination. Yet through strong collaboration with the national Education Cluster, the Ethiopian Humanitarian Fund, local structures and the command post, progress is slowly being made.
For children like Mihret and Heluf, these small steps matter. They mark the beginning of something long delayed: a chance to learn again.
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