Extreme weather events in 2024, including heatwaves, storms, floods, and droughts, caused widespread disruptions to education, leaving approximately 242 million students in 85 countries unable to attend school, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Thursday.
UNICEF’s analysis underscored the devastating impact of “extreme climate events” on school closures and operational disruptions, with heatwaves identified as the most severe threat to education.
“Last year, extreme weather kept one in seven students out of class, putting their health and safety at risk and jeopardizing their long-term educational outcomes,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
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Countries most affected by climate-related school interruptions included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The analysis revealed that 74% of affected students lived in low- and lower-middle-income countries, although no region was immune to the effects of extreme climate events.
South Asia bore the brunt, with 128 million students affected, while East Asia and the Pacific saw disruptions for 50 million students. Africa experienced devastating impacts due to the El Niño climate phenomenon, including floods in East Africa and severe droughts in Southern Africa.
In Europe, torrential rains and floods in Italy disrupted lessons for over 900,000 students in September, while floods in Spain in October affected 13,000 children and teenagers.
“Education is one of the most frequently disrupted services due to climate hazards, yet it is often overlooked in policy discussions, despite its critical role in preparing children for climate adaptation,” Russell emphasized. “Children’s futures must be central to all climate-related plans and actions.”
— dpa
