{
  "id": 1418614,
  "title": "The children paying the quiet price of war",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/the-children-paying-the-quiet-price-of-war",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T04:18:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/the-long-boat-to-school-gets-longer-as-iran-war-drives-up-the-price-of-fuel/articleshow/133286467.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kampong Prahok: Sreynich, a 13-year-old, yearns to be a teacher but lags behind. Her education began at age 10, a delay common among Cambodian children on the Tonle Sap lake, Southeast Asia's largest freshwater body. The Iran war's fuel price surge has exacerbated her struggles. Unlike COVID-19 school closures, the war's effects on education are subtle but disproportionately affect the impoverished. Soaring fuel costs hinder children and teachers' commutes to school and strain governments' education funding as national budgets dwindle. Climate change exacerbates the issue, causing unpredictable floods and droughts. In Kampong Prahok, students once steered small gas-powered boats to school, many no older than Sreynich herself. Now, the family's fishing livelihood and the rising fuel prices make schooling increasingly unaffordable. When finances tighten, Sreynich skips school to help her parents, dreading each missed day. The war threatens to push 23.4 million more children into poverty by year's end, predominantly in Africa and Asia. Sabrina Hervey of Education Above All Foundation warns that the war could force millions of children out of school or deter them from enrolling in the first place. Vulnerable children in Southeast Asia are dropping out of school to work, as seen with 16-year-old Ly and her 13-year-old sister Nhi, both from a fishing family in Vietnam. The war's impact on education is subtle yet devastating, forcing families to prioritize survival over education, potentially exposing children to exploitation and trafficking. Rising fuel prices escalate costs in education, from transportation to classroom supplies. Governments grapple with reduced funds for education due to escalating food and energy bills. The Iran war threatens years of educational progress and poverty reduction in developing nations, particularly those reliant on imported energy.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "13-year-old Sreynich lags in education due to war-induced fuel price surge.",
    "War threatens to push 23.4 million more children into poverty by year's end.",
    "Vulnerable children in Southeast Asia drop out to work, risking exploitation."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}