Climate-related school closures cause dropouts: World Bank

ISLAMABAD: Climate-related school closures are frequent or of long duration, which beyond impacts on learning, cause dropouts as some students do not return to school after schools reopen.

This has been stated in a World Bank report, “Choosing our future: Education for climate action,”, which further noted that during the 2022 flooding in Pakistan, estimates show that 3.5 million children had schooling disrupted and one million children could stop attending school. Higher impacts were observed for children of caregivers who had lower levels of education and income. These closures generate huge learning losses.

In Pakistan, 92 percent of households affected by flooding in 2022 were still uncertain six months later of when local schools would reopen. And there is evidence that a day of school closures is a day of learning lost.

Students in Pakistan lost 97 days of school (nearly 54 percent of a typical academic year) between January 2022 and June 2024, generating huge learning losses, while higher impacts were observed for children of lower levels of education and income.

The report noted that in some contexts, climate-related school closures are frequent or of long duration. In Pakistan, 92 percent of households affected by flooding in 2022 were still uncertain six months later of when local schools would reopen. And there is evidence that a day of school closures is a day of learning lost.

Beyond impacts on learning, these closures also cause dropouts as some students do not return to school after schools re-open.

In Pakistan, farmers with at least a lower secondary education were more inclined to diversify their crops, adjust their planting schedules, and utilize farm insurance to manage the adverse impacts of climate change.

Inventors are more likely to come from highly educated backgrounds and countries with higher quality schooling produce more innovators. Countries with good education systems that promote equity and quality are best prepared for any innovation challenge, the report noted.

Improvements in women’s education have been linked to better health outcomes for their children in many countries, including Brazil, Nepal, Pakistan, and Senegal. Mothers with higher education levels are more effective in reducing the risks of low birth weight and preterm birth associated with air pollution and extreme temperatures

Evidence from the aftermath of the 2022 floods in Pakistan show that approximately 97 percent of parents support climate change education in schools. Among education policymakers across 33 low-and middle-income countries, 98 percent support the inclusion of climate education in schools.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024