Giving Compass' Take:

• Jessica Trisko Darden explains why terrorists often target schools and students and why donors must keep this in mind when funding education projects. 

• How can donors make sure their education donations make an impact? 

• Find out what happened to education funds intended for Afghan girls. 

Terrorists understand the pivotal role that education plays in winning hearts and minds. That is why terrorist groups often attack schools and are increasingly turning to education as a way to spread their message. In response, foreign aid donors need to openly acknowledge that education is at the forefront of efforts to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism and — where appropriate — should design programs with this in mind.

Western-style education and schools have long been a target for terrorist groups. The worst school attack happened in 2004, when Chechen rebels held a school in the Russian city of Beslan hostage on the first day of the school year. After days of negotiation, the Russian government stormed the building. 186 children were killed. Attacks on educational institutions have skyrocketed since the Beslan attack — peaking at roughly 400 attempted attacks in 2014 before falling to around 250 attacks in 2016, according to the Global Terrorism Database.

The Taliban, which recently killed at least 10 people in an attackon the education department of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, has a long history of attacking schools. Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Prize-winning educational activist, survived a Taliban assassination attempt that involved an ambush of her school bus.

These chilling incidents demonstrate what Americans increasingly understand — that schools and children are easy targets for violent actors. But even more worrisome is that terrorist groups are now using education for their own purposes: radicalization, indoctrination, and control.

Read the full article about terrorism and education by Jessica Trisko Darden at American Enterprise Institute.