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Crisis Spotlight: Gulf States (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates)

Crisis type(s): Armed conflict

Background

Map gulf statesAcross the Gulf States, education systems are characterized by strong national investment, robust institutional capacities, and a proven ability to adapt and ensure continuity of learning through proactive planning, regional cooperation, and resilience‑oriented reforms, even in times of uncertainty and external shocks.

Hostilities linked to the U.S.–Israel conflict in Iran, which began on 28 February 2026, have extended to several Arab States, including countries in the Gulf region. The escalation, marked by increased drone and missile attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, has generated significant security risks across the region.

While the education systems in the Gulf States have not sustained significant physical damage, they have encountered a range of indirect disruptions, including school closures, shifts to online and blended learning modalities, transportation and air travel constraints, the cancellation or postponement of high‑stakes examinations, and elevated levels of stress among both teachers and students.

 

Key Messages

  • In light of recent regional developments, education systems in the Gulf Region have demonstrated notable resilience; however, the February–March 2026 incidents underscore the importance of continued investment in preparedness and system adaptability. 

  • Invest in teachers as frontline responders. Teachers are central to education system resilience. Systematic investments are needed to support teacher wellbeing and to strengthen teacher’s ability to adapt their teaching methodologies during crises, including short, flexible training cycles on remote and blended teaching, learner engagement, and trauma‑sensitive approaches. Recent initiatives in the region, such as expanded training for remote learning, highlight the value of proactive teacher professional development in times of disruption. 
  • Prioritize psychosocial support in national education policies and programming. Psychosocial support is not an additional service. It is a core component of quality education. Education systems that integrate well-being improve learner engagement and outcomes, strengthen teacher resilience and instructional effectiveness under pressure, and help education systems function as stabilizing spaces during instability.
  • Expand equitable digital access and inclusion. Efforts to enhance digital infrastructure and access should prioritize equity, with particular attention to lower‑income households, learners with disabilities, and those requiring assistive technologies. Closing digital access gaps is essential to ensuring pre-existing inequalities are not exacerbated by emergency shifts to online or blended learning.
  • Facilitate regional knowledge‑sharing and preparedness. Authorities are encouraged to establish a structured regional mechanism—building on existing cooperation platforms—to regularly share preparedness plans, operational guidance, and lessons learned from recent disruptions, enabling peer learning, alignment of emergency protocols, and the continuous strengthening of education system resilience across the Gulf States and beyond.

 

Web Event

webinar flyerThe current Middle East crisis is generating widespread disruptions across education systems in the Arab States. While the Gulf States have not been directly affected by large-scale destruction, they are increasingly exposed to security risks and heightened defense measures. In response, governments have prioritized precautionary actions, including shifting teaching and learning online. Temporary closures and rapid modality shifts are disrupting access to education and affecting the continuity of learning across schools and higher education institutions, including the conduct of high‐stakes examinations.

UNESCO and INEE jointly organized a webinar to explore how conflict, instability, and uncertainty affect the mental health and psychosocial well-being of teachers, learners, and education personnel in the Gulf States, and share promising practices for embedding psychosocial support PSS within education systems.

For key advocacy messages from the webinar, check out Education in the Gulf States: Integrating Psychosocial Support in Education Systems During Times of Uncertainty. This advocacy brief is available in English and Arabic. 

 

Resources

The following resources support the provision of education, and the psychosocial support and wellbeing of learners, teachers, and those who have been affected by the conflict in the Gulf States. This list will be updated, as needed.

For information on the humanitarian response in affected areas, visit ReliefWeb. To suggest resources for this crisis, or to request a customized collection of resources relevant to another crisis, contact [email protected]. For EiE technical support, submit an INEE Help Desk request here. 

Standards

Teachers

Child Protection

Psychosocial Support

Early Childhood Development

Gender

Inclusive Education

Accelerated and Nonformal Education

Reports & Case Studies

  • UNESCO (forthcoming) Snapshot on the Impact of the Middle East crisis on education in the Gulf States. 

INEE exists for and because of its members. We will continue to advocate and respond to disruptions in education, and will actively support those working to ensure that this right is continually guaranteed to all.

UNESCO logoThis Crisis Spotlight was developed with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)