Educational Disruption and Child Mental Health in Ethiopia

Abstract

The ongoing armed conflict in Ethiopia has disrupted the education of millions of children, with 8.85 million currently out of school as of early 2024. This Perspective article underscores the urgent and often overlooked mental health consequences of such large-scale educational disruption during conflict. In Ethiopia, schools have historically provided far more than academic instruction—they have served as critical environments for emotional development, socialization, structure, and protection. The collapse of these institutions, particularly in heavily affected regions such as Amhara and Tigray, has led to rising levels of anxiety, trauma, and hopelessness among children. Educational exclusion not only deepens existing social and economic inequalities but also heightens emotional distress and weakens the resilience of already vulnerable populations. This article calls for all efforts to resume educational activities to begin with a cessation of conflict and for the integration of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) into every stage of education recovery.

Since November 2020, Ethiopia has been embroiled in a protracted conflict—initially concentrated in the Tigray region and later spreading to Amhara and other areas by April 2023. ¹ Among its many humanitarian consequences, one of the most pressing yet underexamined is the large-scale disruption of education and its profound mental health implications for children. ²

As of the first quarter of 2024, an estimated 8.85 million children were out of school across Ethiopia, accounting for 88.5% of the 10 million in need of educational support, according to a UNICEF report. ³ According to a statement by the regional president on February 12, 2025, approximately 60% of students in the Amhara region were not attending school. ⁴ This exclusion is not only a developmental or logistical issue—it represents a looming mental health crisis.

Schools in Ethiopia have long functioned as more than academic institutions. They provide critical protective services, including school meals, socialization, structured routines, and informal psychosocial support. During conflict, these functions become even more vital. The loss of schooling strips children of emotional stability and exposes them to a host of psychosocial risks, including child marriage, forced displacement, isolation, and violence.

In conflict-affected regions such as Amhara and Tigray, the psychological toll on children is especially severe. Over 1.7 million people have been forcibly displaced, with many children separated from their families and protective community structures. ⁵ Those who remain in conflict zones face relentless exposure to violence, including gunfire, drone strikes, and bomb explosions—sometimes even in or near schools—without the protective buffer of structured education.

One particularly alarming outcome has been the surge in gender-based violence (GBV). Between August and November 2023, at least 200 cases of rape were reported, and 1177 GBV cases were registered between December 2021 and January 2022.^5,6 Reports of gang rape involving girls as young as 14 underscore the deepening vulnerabilities. Victims have included displaced women and female health professionals, highlighting the compounded risks in war-affected settings.

The broader social consequences of school closures are equally grave. According to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, many students had not returned to school for three to four years as of mid-2023. “It’s like stealing so many years from their lives,” said the Commissioner. ⁷ Over 5500 schools were non-operational in mid-2024, with Amhara accounting for the largest share (4178 schools), followed by Tigray (648 schools). ⁷

With no access to education, children are increasingly pushed into exploitative labor, early marriage, and unsafe migration. Economic hardship has forced families to depend on children as income earners. “Because they are not educated, and their families are losing their source of income, they are being forced to work at an early age; their labor is being exploited, and their rights are being violated,” reported a local official. ⁷

Global evidence, including from the COVID-19 pandemic, has demonstrated strong associations between school closures and elevated rates of anxiety, depression, and long-term psychosocial impairment among children. ⁸ Similar patterns are now emerging in Ethiopia. Social isolation—known to exacerbate emotional dysregulation and mental health disorders—has become widespread among out-of-school children.

Even before the conflict, Ethiopia’s child mental health services were severely limited. In conflict-affected regions, both formal supports—such as school counselors and primary health care services—and informal networks, including peer groups, religious leaders, and community elders, have been largely destroyed. Children in more stable or urban areas, particularly Addis Ababa, have continued their education uninterrupted, while those in conflict zones face severe disruption, leading to profound feelings of exclusion, inferiority, and hopelessness. Hopelessness also stems from uncertainty about the future, and inferiority arises from witnessing peers whose families could relocate and maintain schooling. The educational gap is stark: in the most recent national examination, 10,690 students from Addis Ababa (21.4%) passed for higher education, compared with a national average of only 5.4% (36,409 of 684,372 students). ⁹ This is particularly striking given that Addis Ababa’s population is roughly 80% smaller than that of the Amhara region, where 9152 students were unable to take the exam due to ongoing conflict—underscoring the devastating impact of war on children’s educational opportunities and future prospects. ⁹

The psychological consequences of educational exclusion are tangible. Many children internalize the disruption as personal failure or shame. Without prospects for learning, self-development, or social mobility, children’s sense of hope deteriorates. Local reports from Amhara have documented a surge in mental health crises and suicide attempts among adolescents. In Bahir Dar City alone, Felege Hiwot Hospital reported 156 individuals—many of them children—sought care for suicide-related concerns in just seven months. ¹⁰

To avert a generational mental health crisis, education must be prioritized in conflict recovery efforts, explicitly integrated with mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). Conflict-sensitive solutions—such as mobile classrooms, community-based education, and school re-entry programs with embedded psychosocial services—are urgently needed. These strategies must address not only the logistical barriers to reopening schools but also the emotional wounds children carry.

Keeping children in school should be recognized not only as a developmental imperative but also as a fundamental strategy for mental health protection and societal healing. Failing to act risks irreversible damage to Ethiopia’s human potential and social cohesion.