Mudavadi Calls for Global Action as Cyber Risks Target Classrooms

Kenya, 26 November 2025 - Kenya has urged the international community to intensify efforts to protect education systems from an increasingly complex mix of digital and physical threats, warning that classrooms around the world are becoming vulnerable to a new generation of technology-driven risks.

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi, speaking during the opening ceremony of the Fifth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) in Nairobi, said that safeguarding education today requires more than preventing attacks on school buildings. It now demands a deeper understanding of cybersecurity, online behaviour, and artificial intelligence.

“Technology has transformed how students learn, how teachers teach, and how schools operate,” Mudavadi said. “But it has also introduced silent threats that can infiltrate learning spaces without warning. As we embrace digital progress, we must also ensure our schools are equipped to confront these new realities.”

The two-day conference, marking a decade since the launch of the SSD, brings together government officials, civil society leaders, researchers, and UN experts to examine how global education systems can be protected amid both traditional conflict and emerging digital challenges.

Mudavadi highlighted that although millions of children continue to face disrupted learning due to armed conflicts, a parallel crisis is unfolding online. He pointed to the rise in cyberbullying, digital harassment, misinformation campaigns, and AI-driven psychological manipulation; risks he said can deeply impact students’ mental wellbeing.