Education under Attack 2010 - Georgia
| Publisher | UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) |
| Publication Date | 10 February 2010 |
| Cite as | UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Education under Attack 2010 - Georgia, 10 February 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4b7aa9e22d.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
On 7 and 8 August 2008, shelling by Georgian forces hit civilian buildings, including the university and several schools and nursery schools in Tskhinvali and outlying villages in South Ossetia. Some of the buildings were being used as defensive positions by South Ossetian forces.420
During the ensuing Russian military operation in the same month, schools and a youth summer camp were bombed, shelled, burnt down, fired upon and looted, according to the Georgian Ministry of Education. Ninety-nine education institutions were reportedly destroyed or damaged by military action; and school furniture and learning materials were damaged, including school laboratories, libraries and computer equipment. An estimated 230 kindergartens, vocational education centres, schools, arts centres, special schools for children with disabilities, research institutions, higher education institutions and student dormitories were reassigned to shelter IDPs for up to a year.421
[Refworld note: The source report "Education under Attack 2010" was posted on the UNESCO website (www.unesco.org) in pdf format, with country chapters run together. Original footnote numbers have been retained here.]
420 HRW, Up in Flames: Humanitarian Law Violations and Civilian Victims in the Conflict Over South Ossetia (New York: HRW, 2009).
421 Government of Georgia, "Russian Invasion on Georgia: Impact on Georgia's Educational System," Georgia Update, October 8, 2008; and "Russian Invasion of Georgia: Facts and Figures," September 20, 2008, http://www.slovensko-gruzinsko sakartvelo.eu/DownloadHandler.ashx?pg=8645d3f2-b8df-48b0-ba9b-7bcb17d9b6da§ion=8ea0fe0b-f587-407e-aee539eb4cffc414&file=Russian+Invasion+20+09+08.pdf.
