Angelina Jolie calls for action to get children back to school: 'Classrooms offer protection, or at least a reprieve, from violence'

Angelina Jolie is to warn that children around the world left without schooling during the coronavirus crisis may never set foot in a classroom again unless action is taken.

The actress and humanitarian will call for practical assistance to ensure access to continuity of education for young people worldwide at a high-level virtual event on refugee education.

‘For millions of children and youth, schools are a lifeline of opportunity as well as a shield. Classrooms offer protection — or at least a reprieve — from violence, exploitation and other difficult circumstances,’ she will tell a Unesco and UNHCR round-table event on Monday.

A warning: Angelina Jolie is to warn that children around the world left without schooling during the coronavirus crisis may never set foot in a classroom again unless action is taken

Helping out: The actress and humanitarian will call for practical assistance to ensure access to continuity of education for young people worldwide at a high-level virtual event on refugee education. Seen here in 2009 in Syria

‘Without urgent practical assistance, some of the children left without schooling worldwide due to the coronavirus may never set foot in a classroom again.
‘We must find ways to try to ensure access to continuity of education for young people across the world.

‘Ensuring education for refugee children is something we can make happen, if we all come together.’

Caring: ‘For millions of children and youth, schools are a lifeline of opportunity as well as a shield. Classrooms offer protection — or at least a reprieve — from violence, exploitation and other difficult circumstances,’ she will tell a Unesco and UNHCR round-table event on Monday.

They need school: ‘Without urgent practical assistance, some of the children left without schooling worldwide due to the coronavirus may never set foot in a classroom again,’ added the Salt actress. Seen in 2019 at the UN in NYC

Jolie is a special envoy for UNHCR – the United Nations refugee agency.

The Prime Minister’s special envoy for girls’ education, Baroness Sugg, will announce £5.3 million of new UK aid to support the salaries of more than 5,500 teachers in 10 of the world’s poorest refugee-hosting countries at the event.

It is hoped the support will help at least 300,000 vulnerable refugee children continue their education.

Around 1.5 billion children in more than 150 countries are out of school, compared to around 260 million worldwide before the coronavirus crisis.

International Development Minister Baroness Sugg will say: ‘Education must be prioritised in the global recovery from coronavirus. This epidemic is not just a health crisis, it is an education crisis, especially for refugee children.

Her brood: Angelina and Brad share six children together – Maddox, 18, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 11. Seen in 2019

‘Without school and an education they will be unable to rebuild their lives and achieve their full potential.

‘Supporting every child’s right to 12 years of quality education is one of the best investments the UK can make to end the cycle of displacement, poverty and conflict, as we recover from coronavirus. We urge our partners to match our ambition.’

Meanwhile, her divorce proceedings from Brad Pitt are allegedly being held up because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Angelina, 45, filed for divorce nearly four years ago but the work of getting it finalized has reportedly been impeded by the impact of lockdowns.

‘Brad is seeing the kids but everything involved in their process of resolving legal matters between Angelina and Brad, including the courts, is slowed down because of COVID,’ dished an Us Weekly insider.

Side by side: Brad and Jolie’s divorce proceedings are allegedly being held up because of the coronavirus pandemic; pictured in 2015

‘With the pandemic, it has been hard for everyone, including them. The legal process is slowed because of that. They are continuing regular visits but there has not been a lot of progress in terms of resolving anything.’

Angelina and Brad share six children together – Maddox, 18, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 11.

Over the past two weeks Brad has been seen twice at Angelina’s mansion in Los Feliz possibly signaling that their equation with each other was improving.

A source told People this week that the couple are ‘in a better place’ in terms of co-parenting the children after their custody battle.

The way they were: Brad and Angelina are pictured at the World War Z premiere in Berlin in 2013, one year before they got married

‘It’s taken them a long time, with a lot of family therapy, to get to this point. The younger kids go back and forth between their houses, and Brad loves spending as much time with them as possible. He seems much happier,’ said the insider.

Although they got together in 2005 they waited until 2014 to get married, only for Angelina to file for divorce in September 2016.

Since then they have battled legally over custody and finances, with Angelina reportedly demanding more money than Brad wanted to give.

Living arrangements also became a sticking point as Brad was allegedly preventing Angelina from moving out of the country with their children.

‘I would love to live abroad and will do so as soon as my children are 18,’ she told Harper’s Bazaar late last year for their December/January issue. ‘Right now I’m having to base where their father chooses to live.’

Brad has confessed to having been an alcoholic before Angelina left him but he has since gotten sober, and last year a judge granted him more time with the children.