400 Million Students Miss School Due To Extreme Weather-World Bank

The World Bank has disclosed that a staggering 400 million students globally experienced school closures from extreme weather since 2022.

The report titled “Choosing Our Future: Education for Climate Action”, examined the detrimental impacts of climate change on education in low- and middle-income countries, offering solutions to harness education to spur climate action.

The report noted that a one-time investment of $18.51 per child can mitigate the impact from climate shocks.

According to the report, climate crisis is hitting education the hardest in low-income countries, with 18 school days lost annually on average, compared to 2.4 days in wealthier nations.

“ A 10-year-old in 2024 will experience three times more floods, five times more droughts, and 36 times more heatwaves over their lifetime compared to a 10-year-old in 1970.

“And even when schools are open, students are losing learning due to climate. In Brazil, students in the poorest 50 percent of municipalities could lose half a year’s learning due to heat alone,” the report noted.

Vice President, People Vice Presidency, World Bank Mamta Murthi,while speaking on the issue said, “Young people are directly impacted by this crisis, and they are eager to act. Yet education systems are not delivering the information, skills and opportunities they need in a climate-affected world.

“This is a missed opportunity to harness the power of education so we can adapt to and mitigate the climate crisis.”

The report added that education is not only under threat from climate change, it is massively overlooked in climate financing.

However, Global Director of Education at the World Bank, Luis Benveniste stated that there are many low-cost steps that governments can take to harness education and learning for climate action while adapting education systems to climate change.

“Improving school infrastructure, ensuring learning continuity, and leveraging students and teachers as effective agents of positive change can all contribute to a more livable planet,” Benveniste said.

The report emphasised the need for government to improve foundational and STEM skills, mainstreaming climate education, and building teacher capacity to help harness schooling for climate action.

“ And governments can prioritize green skilling and innovation in tertiary education to help supercharge a shift to more sustainable practices,” the report said.