Beirut (EFE).- UNICEF warned on Thursday that at least 100,000 children in Lebanon are at risk of being left without access to classrooms at the start of the next school year if urgent action is not taken to repair the 340 schools damaged during the recent conflict.A national assessment conducted in June by the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education, with technical support from UNICEF, found that 340 public, private, technical, and vocational schools were damaged; of those, 17 destroyed.The study was conducted as part of the Transition and Resilience Education Fund (TREF), which is funded by the European Union, Germany, France, and Switzerland. It provides the first comprehensive overview of the conflict’s impact on the country’s education system.The damage is concentrated in the governorates of Nabatieh, South Lebanon, Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, Beirut, and Mount Lebanon, some of the areas most affected by Israeli attacks.While some schools have sustained minor damage, others require extensive rehabilitation or complete reconstruction before they can reopen safely.Marcoluigi Corsi, UNICEF’s representative in Lebanon, stressed the importance of schools being much more than just buildings but places where children learn, feel safe, and begin to recover from crises.With the new school year scheduled to start in September, Corsi warned that it is essential to increase investment in repairing damaged schools to ensure students can return to the classroom without further interruption.The organization noted that the education of Lebanese children has already been severely impacted by the economic, social, and security crises that the country has faced in recent years.UNICEF warned that another prolonged disruption to learning would have lasting consequences for children’s education, well-being, and mental health. It would also increase their exposure to risks such as child labor and early marriage.The Ministry of Education is working with UNICEF, donors, and other organizations to promote school rehabilitation, ensuring the continuation of learning, and supporting the Lebanese education system’s recovery. However, UNICEF emphasized that the scale of the destruction requires much greater funding before the next school year begins. EFE