Last year, extreme weather fluctuations disrupted the school education of approximately 242 million children in 85 countries of the world, i.e. roughly every seventh student, said the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in its report on Thursday, according to which it is an “overlooked” aspect of the climate crisis. TASR reports according to the AFP agency.
Heat waves had the greatest impact on education. On this occasion, UNICEF Director Catherine Russell pointed out that children are more “vulnerable” to the extreme nature of the weather. “They overheat more quickly, sweat less efficiently and cool down more slowly than adults,” Russell clarified. “Children can’t concentrate in classrooms that don’t provide any relief from the heat, and they can’t get to school when the road is flooded or the school is washed away.” added.
Human activity, including the unlimited burning of fossil fuels over the decades, has caused the planet to warm and change the nature of the weather, writes AFP. Meanwhile, global average temperatures reached record values in 2024 and for the first time in the past few years they temporarily exceeded the critical threshold of warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius. This made wet seasons more humid and dry seasons even drier, intensifying heat and storms and making populations more vulnerable to disasters.
The available data shows that they had pupils from kindergartens to secondary schools during the past year forced suspension of classes, postponed holidays, delayed reopening of schools, rescheduling and even damage or destruction of educational facilities due to “climate shocks”, it is stated in the report of UNICEF.
At least 171 million children have been affected by heat waves – including 118 million in April alone, when temperatures soared in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Thailand and the Philippines. Above all in the Philippines, thousands of schools without air conditioning were closed because children were at risk of overheating, cites AFP.
The educational process was seriously affected by climate change even in September, when school starts in many countries after the summer holidays, adds UNICEF. Vin this month of last year, yuca was suspended in 18 countries, primarily due to the devastating typhoon Jagi in East Asia and the Pacific.
South Asia was the region worst hit by climate-related school disruptions. It affected 128 million pupils there, AFP quotes. In India, the weather – especially the heat – affected up to 54 million pupils, in Bangladesh it was 35 million.
These numbers are likely to increase in the coming years as temperatures continue to rise, with half the world’s children – approximately one billion – lives in countries with a high risk of climate and environmental shocks, UNICEF warned. At the same time, the UN agency called for investments in school classrooms and classrooms to make them more resistant to climate threats, adds AFP.
