In 2024, the world faced unprecedented extreme weather events that severely impacted education across the globe.
According to a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about 242 million children in 85 countries found their schooling disrupted due to extreme weather.
UNICEF highlighted that heat waves, cyclones, floods, and other extreme weather conditions were among the primary culprits behind these disruptions.
The report stated that the disruptions were not merely minor inconveniences; rather, they led to significant interruptions in learning.
UNICEF, in the report, also stated that the development is a demonstration of the far-reaching consequences of climate-related challenges on the educational landscape and the lives of millions of young students.
A breakdown of the report showed that the number translates to roughly one in seven school-aged children worldwide being affected by climate-related issues.
Speaking on the situation, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, explained that children heat up faster, sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults, making them particularly susceptible to harsh weather conditions.
She added that the situation not only affects Children’s ability to concentrate and learn in classrooms but also poses physical risks when routes to school are compromised by floods or when schools are damaged or destroyed by storms.
A more detailed examination of the report revealed that the nations experiencing the greatest disruptions in education due to climate-related events included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
The analysis highlighted a troubling statistic: a staggering 74 percent of the students impacted by these interruptions resided in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
In East Asia and the Pacific region, 50 million students faced disruptions, while Africa endured devastating consequences linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon, including floods in East Africa and severe droughts in parts of southern Africa.
In Europe, torrential rains and floods disrupted lessons for over 900,000 students in Italy in September, while October floods affected 13,000 children and teenagers in Spain, according to UNICEF.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has advocated for investment in resilient educational infrastructure to mitigate these impacts, warning that without such measures, the number of children affected by climate shocks could dramatically rise in the coming decades.
The agency’s analysis suggests that by 2050, if current trends continue, the exposure of children to heat waves could be eight times higher than in 2000, with similar increases in exposure to floods and wildfires.
