Climate crisis disrupted schooling for two million children in 2024

At least 2 million students across the country had their schooling interrupted by extreme climate in 2024.

The results of the analysis done by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) showed that the children were among 242 million learners globally who missed school in 85 countries following heavy rain  that caused floods, cyclones and heat waves.

The analysis looked at interruption of school timetables, and the impact on learners from pre-primary to upper secondary level.

In Kenya, the heavy rains and flooding disrupted the school calendars between March and August last year.

Heavy rains and floods submerged and destroyed infrastructure across several schools. 

“In Kenya, more than 2 million learners across the country were affected by school closures due to damaged school infrastructures and loss of teaching and learning materials caused by heavy rains and flooding during the long rains season from March to May 2024,” the report released on January 24 highlights.

In August last year, Kenya postponed re-opening of schools by one week due to flooding caused by heavy rains.

The analysis showed that climate change has continued to disrupt school calendars with Kenya being one of the countries affected.

The extreme events documented by the UN body in 2024 included heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods, and droughts.

Coupled with poor infrastructure, countries, like Kenya, who are among those that climate crisis is directly impacting on its education system, are largely ill-equipped to protect students from these impacts as per the analysis. 

The report highlights lack of climate-centered finance investments in education, which remains strikingly low. Currently, global data on school disruptions due to climate hazards is limited.

Extreme weather events, the Unicef says, continues to affect existing learning crisis across several countries while also affecting the learners.

"Globally, education systems were already failing millions of children. A lack of trained teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and differences in the quality of – and access to – education have long been creating a learning crisis that climate hazards are exacerbating," the analysis warns. 

Unicef noted that prolonged school closures make it less likely for students to return to the classroom and place them at heightened risk of child marriage and child labour with girls often disproportionately affected with increased risks of dropping out of school during and after disasters.

In a statement, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that children are more vulnerable to the impacts of weather-related crises, including stronger and more frequent heatwaves, storms, droughts and flooding.

“Children’s bodies are uniquely vulnerable. They heat up faster, they sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults. Children cannot concentrate in classrooms that offer no respite from sweltering heat, and they cannot get to school if the path is flooded, or if schools are washed away. Last year, severe weather kept one in seven students out of class, threatening their health and safety, and impacting their long-term education.” she said.

Rising temperatures, storms, floods, and other climate hazards, it notes, can damage school infrastructure and supplies, hampering routes to school and leading to unsafe learning conditions. This impact students’ concentration, memory, mental and physical health. 

While Kenya experienced school closures as a result of floods and heavy rains between March and August, other countries like Bangladesh and the Philippines experienced widespread school closures in April. Others, like Cambodia shortened the school day by two hours.