Climate-proofing our classrooms

A recent UNICEF report on the impact of climate change on education, especially school education, has painted a grim picture of the global situation, especially in the poorer countries. It says that at least 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024. The climate events included heat waves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods and droughts. South Asia was the most affected region where 128 million students faced climate-related school disruptions last year. India accounted for about 55 million of them. East Asia and the Pacific were also badly hit. The report has, for the first time, made a comprehensive analysis of climate hazards that have led to closures and other disruptions of schools and their impact on education up to secondary level. UNICEF had warned last year that many more children will be exposed to extreme climate events in the coming years, and it has now presented more evidence in support of its contention.

The report said heat waves were the biggest threat to schools last year, with Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia experiencing the worst. Countries such as Afghanistan faced multiple hazards including heat waves and floods. El Nino badly impacted Africa, causing both floods and droughts. The report noted that extreme climate events damaged school infrastructure and supplies, made access difficult and created unsafe learning conditions. They also affected students’ concentration, memory, and mental and physical health. It is stated that children’s bodies are more vulnerable to weather-related crises. The disruptions impacted not only academics; prolonged school closures caused more gender-based violence, and heightened the risk of child marriage and child labour. Girls were more severely affected than boys. The observations are based on data collected from across the world. The situation is set to get worse and there are worrying signs.

What is of greater concern is that governments and administrations are not paying adequate attention to the problem. The report notes that schools and education systems are largely ill-equipped to protect students from the impact of climate events. There are no financial investments and action plans specifically oriented to dealing with climate change in most countries. UNICEF has called upon world leaders to ensure that national climate plans strengthen child-critical sectors such as education and to make greater investment in disaster-resilient and climate-smart learning facilities. Climate resilience should be improved through greater financial investment and there should be greater focus on child education. These are the real challenges that governments should be preoccupied with but unfortunately, they do not get the attention they deserve.