World Bank says trillions of dollars lost due to violence at schools

An estimated $11 trillion is being lost globally in future earnings due to violence in schools, and preventive measures are urgently needed, according to the World Bank.

A new study, released Wednesday ahead of next week’s Global Education Summit, showed that violence plagues countries at all economic levels of development.

“We found that violence in schools is extremely widespread, not only in low- and middle-income countries but also in high-income countries,” Quentin Wodon, a lead economist at the World Bank, told Devex.

He said the consequences of inaction would be dire for children’s well-being and for countries’ wealth.

What the figure means: Violence in and around schools — from bullying and fights to gang violence — causes students to lose out on education, suffer from poor grades, and even drop out. In general, those who have lower education levels tend to earn less in life.

Based on this, Wodon and his colleagues estimated how much countries could lose in national wealth if nothing is done to stop such violence. This lost human capital wealth is similar to estimating the future earnings of the labor force at present value.

What should be done: Physical violence exists in a third of the surveys Wodon researched, and he estimated that sexual violence is vastly underreported. The report, being released as part of the larger Safe to Learn campaign, pressed for a holistic approach to tackling violence — one that goes beyond schools and considers the wider community and societal contexts.

This includes everything from anti-bullying initiatives in secondary schools to programs aimed at improving parenting skills.

What is the summit? The Global Education Summit is a key multiyear fundraising event. This year’s summit aims for donors to commit at least $5 billion over five years to help countries improve their education systems.