Over 240M children’s schooling disrupted by climate crises in 2024: UNICEF

WASHINGTON

At least 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024, UNICEF said on Friday.

Heat waves were the predominant climate hazard shuttering schools last year in Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Cambodia, with over 118 million students affected in April alone, according to UNICEF data.

According to the data, Afghanistan was among the countries to face multiple climate hazards, with heat waves as well as severe flash floods that damaged over 110 schools in May.

South Asia was the most affected region, with 128 million students facing climate-related school disruptions last year, while in East Asia and the Pacific, 50 million students’ schooling was affected, UNICEF said.

"Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of weather-related crises, including stronger and more frequent heatwaves, storms, droughts and flooding," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

Russell said severe weather in 2024 kept one in seven students out of class, threatening their health and safety, and impacting their long-term education.

"Children’s bodies are uniquely vulnerable. They heat up faster, they sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults. Children cannot concentrate in classrooms that offer no respite from sweltering heat, and they cannot get to school if the path is flooded, or if schools are washed away," she added.