Children may lose 1.5 years of schooling due to climate change: UNESCO

India Today

21-07-2025

Children exposed to extreme heatwaves could lose up to 1.5 years of schooling, with climate change now directly impacting education systems and threatening to reverse decades of academic progress, according to a new global report from UNESCO.The report, compiled by UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team, the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) project, and the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, warns of significant learning losses due to climate-related disruptions.advertisementThese include heatwaves, wildfires, floods, droughts, storms, diseases and rising sea levels.
The study revealed that most low-and middle-income countries experience climate-related school closures every year, increasing the risk of learning loss and student dropouts.SCHOOL CLOSURES LINKED TO CLIMATE CHANGEOver the past 20 years, schools were closed in at least 75 per cent of extreme weather events affecting five million or more people.The report linked heat exposure to reduced educational outcomes. In 29 countries studied between 1969 and 2012, higher temperatures during the prenatal and early life stages were associated with fewer years of schooling, especially in Southeast Asia.'A child experiencing temperatures that are two standard deviations above average is predicted to attain 1.5 fewer years of schooling than children experiencing average temperatures,' the Unesco report noted.TEST SCORES AND GRADUATION RATES AFFECTEDThe report cited how higher temperatures in China reduced high-stakes exam performance and lowered high school graduation and college entrance rates.In the United States, schools without air conditioning saw test scores drop by 1 percent for each additional 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature.African American and Hispanic students, often studying in poorly maintained infrastructure, were disproportionately affected -- contributing to roughly 5 percent of the racial achievement gap.It also found that nearly half of all public school districts in the US need to update or replace multiple heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES FACE GREATER RISKSIn Brazil's most disadvantaged municipalities -- also amongst those most exposed to heat -- students lose about 1 percent of learning each year due to rising temperatures.The report stressed that climate-induced education vulnerabilities are particularly severe for marginalised populations. Of the 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2019, eight were low- or lower-middle-income countries.Of the 33 countries classified as extremely high climate risk zones for children -- home to nearly 1 billion people -- 29 are considered fragile states.SOCIAL INEQUALITY AND DISASTER IMPACTSIn the United States, those with lower income or without a secondary school certificate are 15 percent more likely to live in areas projected to see increased childhood asthma from climate-driven air pollution.advertisement'School districts in the United States that received federal disaster recovery funds had higher proportions of students from socially vulnerable groups,' the report added.Natural disasters have not only disrupted education but also caused loss of life and damage to infrastructure.In Jakarta, floods in 2013 disrupted access to schools, converted them into emergency shelters, and forced several to shut due to damage.However, 81 percent of schools that had disaster management plans in place found them effective during the crisis.WAY FORWARD IN A WARMING WORLDThe report calls for urgent policy interventions to make education systems more resilient to climate change.These include upgrading school infrastructure, incorporating climate education into curricula, and ensuring that disaster response plans are in place and effective.As extreme weather events grow more frequent and intense, safeguarding children's right to uninterrupted, quality education must become a global priority.(With inputs from PTI)- Ends