More than 13 million children are being deprived of an education because of conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa.

A UNICEF report shows that in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya alone, nearly 9000 schools have either been destroyed or are being used as shelters.

Even where there is an active school many parents are too afraid to send their children, in fear of what might happen to them along the way or in school, UNICEF say.

In Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, more than 700,000 Syrian refugee children are unable to attend school because the education infrastructure cannot cope with the extra student load.

UNICEF says the hopes and futures of a generation of children are being shattered by conflict and political upheaval across the Middle East and North Africa.

“The destructive impact of conflict is being felt by children right across the region,” said Peter Salama, Regional Director for UNICEF in the Middle East and North Africa.

“It’s not just the physical damage being done to schools, but the despair felt by a generation of schoolchildren who see their hopes and futures shattered.”