279,000 out of school in Libya

Libyan students arrive at the al-Bashayer school in the eastern coastal city of Benghazi, in this December 13, 2015 file photo. (AFP)

TRIPOLI: The UN warned on Monday that the Libya conflict was preventing some 279,000 children from attending school across the war-torn country.
“Recently released data from Libya’s Ministry of Education paints an alarming picture of education access,” the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
“A total of 558 schools across various regions of Libya (were) classed as nonfunctional, affecting approximately 279,000 school-age children,” OCHA said in a report.
Schools had closed “due to partial or complete damage as a result of conflict and fighting,” it said.
In some cities including Libya’s second city of Benghazi, “a number of schools have become shelters for the displaced, preventing children from accessing them,” it added.